CrazyBeautiful
by broodyprettygirl
Summary: Lucas is on a destructive path, along with his best friend Peyton. Everybody has given up on him, except for Karen, his step-mom. While doing community service, he meets Brooke and she makes him feel different, something he's never felt before.
1. Coma

**This is my new story. I am kind of nervous about posting it, but I had to get it on here for some feedback on it! I am kind of loosely basing this off the movie Crazy/Beautiful, hence the name, but it's very loosely based off that. It's where my original idea came from. It's rated M because it's going to deal with some dark stuff. It's mainly about Lucas, but other characters will be intertwined here and there. It's pretty much AU. Everything will explain itself through time, but you should pretty much push all of the background stuff from the actual show out of your head. I have the first few chapters written already, so I should be pretty consistent with getting them up. I just have to make sure I am okay with them, first. And of course, it also depends on he feedback I get from the first chapter. **

**Anyway, none of the characters are mine, and I don't own anything One Tree Hill. **

**Also, the title for this chapter is Coma, which I got from a song called Coma by an awesome band named Borne. All of the chapters will be named after songs...songs in which I can hopefully relate each chapter to.**

**Anyway, if you have any questions please feel free to ask them! And if you're concerned about pairings, just look at my penname! You'll figure it out...**

**Last, but certainly not least...HUGE and BIG thanks to Gia (Cheeryfan) for being such an awesome beta and putting up with my mindless ideas and constant adding on. She's a GREAT BIG help! **

Lucas pushed through the front door of the shabby, run down house, a place he visited often. The inside was cluttered with drug addicts and alcoholics. Most were already strung out, passed out in chairs, or in corners trying to get laid. Lucas never paid attention to the other people. Out of all of the times he'd been there, he'd never talked to anybody, except for the person giving him the drugs.

Peyton, his closest friend, usually accompanied him to the house, but that night she was stuck with her parents, who, just for the night, were trying to be real parents. She was forced to have dinner with them, although, she protested greatly against it. She was one reason why Lucas never talked to anyone there, but not the main reason. He was only there to forget about who he was for a while, and not to make friends.

The dealer pulled out Lucas' usual choice before he even told him what he wanted. Lucas shook his head, telling him he wanted something different. He pulled his hand through his greasy, blond tresses as the dealer pulled out something else, while telling Lucas he would really enjoy it. The dealer explained the difference in what he was giving him, one type of pill an upper, the other type a downer. The exchange of drugs for money was discreet, and would go unnoticed by most. If it weren't a place known for dealing drugs, nobody would know what was going on.

Lucas took his purchase from the dealer, and then walked towards the alcohol. He popped some of the downers. He didn't want the uppers. That night he wanted to fade into a coma and just forget life in general. He would give the uppers to Peyton, who enjoyed being strung out. The burn of the vodka he used to chase the pills made him cringe, but went away quickly. His tolerance to the harsh alcohol had been built up. He slammed another glass of vodka then tossed the plastic cup to the floor to mix with the rest of the trash strewn around.

He found an empty chair in the living room and sat down. He slouched back in the chair, resting his head against the headrest. His eyes shut as he waited for the drugs and alcohol to take effect on him. _Coma_ by _Borne_ blared through worn down house speakers, and he couldn't help but understand exactly what the lyrics were saying. Soon, the lyrics and music faded to the background as Lucas slipped into a drug-induced state.

_The tiny space is pitch black, and he's scared out of his mind. He's young, six and a half to be exact. The only light that could be seen was coming through the slats of the closet door, and if he tried hard enough, he could see through those slats. He didn't want to look out there, though. Out there was more frightening than being stuck in the small closet. He sat down and pulled his knees into his chest. The little boy buried his nose into his knees, trying to block out the putrid smell. A smell that invaded his nostrils the moment he walked into the house. _

Lucas abruptly woke from his coma, smelling the putrid smell he was still trying to get rid of. His eyes searched the room, trying to find the source of the smell so he could get rid of it permanently. He was caught off guard when a burly man in a uniform burst through the front door. He froze for a moment, then attempted to run, but was caught before he even took off.

"Well, well, Mr. Scott," the police officer greeted him while he took him to the floor and handcuffed his hands behind his back. "We meet again, don't we?" The officer pressed his knee into Lucas' back, trying to hurt him.

"Yeah, I love these meetings of ours," Lucas replied, sarcastically. He was mad his buzz was being ruined. "Why don't you just let me go? You know I am just going to get out of whatever bogus charge you give me, anyway." He didn't try to squirm out of the man's grasp, knowing it was pointless.

"Not this time, Mr. Scott." The cop spoke, pulling a baggie from Lucas' pocket. "Looks like we have something to keep you for, this time." Lucas smiled at the cop when he pulled him up, trying to piss him off.

It wasn't the first time Lucas and the officer met. This officer had arrested Lucas several times, and each time failed to get him into any serious trouble with the law. The man didn't faze Lucas. It didn't matter if he spent the night in jail or not. Lucas didn't care about much that went on in his life.

Dull. That was the only word Lucas could think of to describe his jail cell. The walls were gray, the bedposts were a shade of gray, and the floor matched the walls. The bed mattress felt like lying on pavement, and the blanket couldn't keep someone warm while lying on the beach in the middle of summer. Lucas wanted to act like he didn't care, but the alcohol and drug mix was starting to have a negative effect and he was sure, soon he would have to use the toilet, and he dreaded having to use the toilet.

"You're out of here, Scott." The guard opened his jail cell for him. Lucas pulled himself from the bed, and then drug his feet in the direction the guard was taking him. "Looks like you have someone who actually cares for you enough to pay for you to get out."

"Yeah, right," Lucas answered, sarcastically. He knew who was there, though, and the guard was right about her being the only person who cared about him.

"Lucas, are you okay?" Karen started to check Lucas over to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with him.

"Yes, Karen, I'm okay." He assured his step-mom.

"Well, let's get you home. Your father is up and he's really pissed off," she informed him. "What were you thinking, Lucas? Is there something you want to talk about? I don't get why you are doing drugs and hanging out at drug houses."

Lucas rolled his eyes as she went on and on about his behavior. It wasn't that he didn't care for Karen, or that he disrespected her. No, that wasn't it at all. It was quite the opposite with Karen, unlike most of the other people in his life. It was just that he didn't know why she cared about him. His dad didn't, so why should his stepmother?

The ride home was filled with Karen trying to get Lucas to talk to her, and maybe try to get through to him, but it didn't work. Lucas had fallen into a routine, and going to jail because he was at a drug house had, as of lately, been top priority on that list. Everybody gave up on trying to get Lucas to realize he was throwing his life away, except for Karen.

"Well, hello, Lucas," his father, Dan, greeted him in his usual menacing tone. "I don't know what I am going to do with you, son. Do you realize how much money it is going to cost me to get you out of this mess? This time you won't be getting off scott free. You'll be going to court and you will accept whatever punishment they give to you."

"Whatever," Lucas mumbled, pushing past his father and heading to his room. "It doesn't matter, anyway."

"What was that?" Dan grabbed Lucas by the arm, and spun him around. "It doesn't matter? Do you realize what kind of stigma you are giving to our family name? You need to get your act together, otherwise, all these luxuries you have, will be gone."

Lucas shook his arm from Dan's grasp, but stood up to him, letting him know he didn't intimidate him. Everybody else might crack under Dan's threats, but Lucas didn't have much to lose, or at least, that's what he thought.

"Luxury?" Lucas snorted. "You call living with you a luxury?"

"Go to bed, son." Dan ordered. He turned towards Karen. "I don't know why you go and get his ass out of jail. He needs to sit in there and think about all the shit he's been pulling. He's never going to grow up if you keep babying him."

"Dan," Karen sighed, "he's too young to spend a night in jail."

"If he's not too young to be doing drugs; he's not too young to spend a night in jail. Don't fight me on this, Karen. You're not even his real parent."

"She's more of a parent to me than you'll ever be." Lucas stepped in. He didn't like Dan talking down to Karen, something he tended to do quite often. "Why don't you leave her alone? It's not like she did anything, except care about me."

"Don't give me that, Lucas." Dan turned back to him. "You're not worth caring about. Not the way you've been acting."

"Dan!" Karen exclaimed appalled by what he said. "Lucas, go up to your room. You're grounded, so don't think about going anywhere this weekend."

Lucas nodded and did as Karen told him to. He didn't want to leave Karen alone to defend him against Dan, but did as she said anyway. The muffled voices of Karen and Dan could still be heard through the shut door, and it made Lucas cringe. He tried covering his ears, but the sounds were still there. Not being able to take it anymore, Lucas went into the adjoining bathroom and searched through the mirror cabinet for the razor blade he hid in there.

Lucas bent over the sink and pulled the blade across the skin on his forearm, letting droplets of blood fall into the sink. After making a cut about an inch long, he dropped the blade, closed his eyes, and let the crimson liquid flow from his flesh. Cutting was his way of releasing the pain he felt in his life, and at that moment, it was blocking out the shouting from downstairs. One day, he hoped to get the courage to go a little deeper. Deep enough so that all the pressure he could put on his arm wouldn't stop the bleeding.

Pain radiated from the cut, but he relished in it. He shut his eyes tighter, trying to get rid of all of his thoughts. When he opened his eyes back up, the sink had a pool of blood in it. Lucas began to panic at the amount of blood in the sink, and immediately pressed a washcloth against his self-inflicted wound. It didn't take much to control the bleeding. He put a haphazard bandage over the cut to further control the bleeding, and then cleaned the sink out, making sure there was no evidence of what he'd done.

He left the bathroom, and then dug his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed Peyton's number, and then listened to the rings. "What the hell?" She answered. "I was going to meet you over there, but when I got there the place was crawling with cops! I had to go to that creepy guy to get something good. What the hell happened over there, anyway?"

"Drug bust." Lucas answered, simply.

"Did you get arrested?" She knew the answer already, but wanted to ask.

"Yeah," Lucas sighed. "What the hell took you so long?" He held the phone between his ear and shoulder, and then dug out a baggie from his pocket. He pulled a joint out. He opened the window so he could blow the smoke out, and then lit up. He inhaled deeply, holding it in for a few moments.

"My mother is trying to win the mother of the fucking year award. Dinner basically consisted of her bitching at me for what I wear and not being girly enough. She wants me to be some debutante, stepford wife bitch." Lucas could imagine the animation in Peyton's actions as she told the story of her night with her parents. "Of course, my piece of shit father just sat there like a fucking bump on a log."

This was basically how there friendship worked. Peyton would go on and on about her problems, mainly her parents, and Lucas would listen. He didn't open up to her and tell her about the creep of a father he had. Lucas didn't open up to anybody, and he liked it that way. The less amount of people who knew him; the fewer he had to worry about letting down.

"So, what happened in jail? Did Bubba rape you again?" She teased.

"Yeah," Lucas rolled his eyes, "no, nothing, actually. I thought I was going to have to puke in the toilet and I really didn't want to."

"Ew." Peyton cringed. "So, I got wind of a party out on the beach tomorrow night, you want to go?"

"I'm grounded."

"Since when has that ever stopped you from going to a party?"

"Good point."

"Community service?" Dan questioned, appalled it wasn't a more serious consequence. "The boy was found in a drug house with drugs on him and all he gets in community service? Why didn't they take him away to juvenile detention?"

"Dan," Karen scolded. "I think it will be good for him. He has to go help clean up the beach."

"Can we not talk about me like I'm not here?" Lucas spoke up. "And I'm so sorry, Dan, that my punishment didn't take me away from here so you would never have to think about me. Hell, I'd rather go to juvie than stay here."

He started to walk away but Dan grabbed him by the arm and forcefully pulled Lucas towards him.

"Dan!" Karen gasped.

"Listen here, you little punk, you don't know how good you have it here. You have a free place to stay in a very nice house. You're lucky you have everything that you do. You better start appreciating your surroundings; otherwise your ass will be thrown out."

"Oh, no." Lucas put his hand to his face. "Don't threaten that on me, _dad_." He pulled his arm from Dan's grasp. "I might just take you up on that offer."

He walked away. They both knew Lucas wouldn't leave the house, though. As much as he hated it there, he did have nice living quarters. Plus, he felt like he had to make sure Karen would be protected from Dan.

Nathan, his brother, emerged from his room as Lucas went towards his. The two didn't get along, and never had. Nathan was Karen and Dan's son, and liked to remind Lucas often how much better they loved him. Dan cheated on Deb, Lucas' mom, before he was born, and Nathan was a product of the infidelity. For years, Dan went back and forth between Deb and Karen, never being able to decide between the two.

"Community service?" Nathan chuckled. "You really are a piece of work."

"Why don't you go shove your nose up Dan's ass some more and leave me the hell alone?" Lucas spoke, bitterly, before entering his room.

"Why don't you go smoke some crack?!" Nathan shouted behind him.

Lucas' temper started to flare, but he fought to control it. He didn't smoke crack, and he never would. It was the one drug he would never try and would flip out if it were in his presence. Peyton tried it once while she was around him, and he didn't speak to her for weeks. Instead of tackling Nathan, like he wanted to, Lucas bit his tongue and slammed his door closed.

"Meet me at the bridge in ten." Lucas told Peyton over the phone, and then slammed it shut.

He slid out of his window, not wanting to be questioned by Karen and Dan about where he was going. It was a short walk to the bridge he was referring to. It wasn't a big bridge, only big enough to allow for people walking to get over train tracks, but it was where Lucas and Peyton did most of their hanging out. The people in Tree Hill abandoned the walk many years ago, and they knew no one would bother them.

Lucas pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one while he waited for Peyton. He didn't like to smoke, but it was just another way to ruin the body he resided in. Smoke billowed from his mouth as Peyton made her way towards him. He nodded his head in her direction, letting her know he knew she was there.

"What's up, punk?" She hit him in the arm. "Did you bring anything with you?"

"Yeah," he nodded and pulled a baggie from his pants. The two ingested the drug; then sat on the side of the bridge, their legs hanging over the side.

"So, what was your punishment?" She asked.

"One hundred hours of community service," Lucas mumbled. "I have to go pick up the beach tomorrow." He rolled his eyes. "Don't they have fucking employees to do that shit?"

"No, they get free pick up from fuck-ups like you." Peyton laughed. "What were you doing staying at that house, anyway? You should know you have to be in and out of there. That place is always getting busted."

"I didn't have anywhere else to go." He shrugged.

"You could have come and crashed family night at the Sawyer's," Peyton puffed on her cigarette. "That would have been fun. I would have loved to see the look on Ellie's face when you, drunk off your ass, walked through the door. She's such an uptight bitch."

"Was she trying to get you into beauty pageants again?" Lucas teased.

"Fuck you." Peyton slugged him in the arm. "She wouldn't try that shit again."

"Maybe you would be cute with a little make-up." Lucas lifted a strand of her hair, attempting to style it. Peyton smacked his hand away. "Why do you hate that shit so much?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Peyton raised her eyebrows. "Do you know what it's like to fucking parade around in front of perverts with your hair glued to your head, your face looking like Bozo, and wearing a dress covered in frilly ruffles, which is all pink, by the way?"

"Yeah, I would know because that's what I do on the weekends," Lucas sarcastically replied. "What do you fucking think, Peyton?"

"Well, you got my point, at least." She inhaled on her cigarette. "Besides, I caught the fucking bitch practically making out with my pageant coach. What kind of whore sleeps with her daughter's coach while her husband is away slaving to give her the luxurious life?"

Peyton threw her cigarette down onto the train tracks below. She stood on the railing of the bridge, the same spot she had just been sitting in. She turned her head towards the sky and extended her arms outwards. Lucas sat, unbothered, still puffing on his cigarette. It didn't faze him that she was putting her life in danger.

"What if I just jumped, Lucas?" Peyton asked, putting one foot in the air. "What if I just fucking ended all of it right now?"

"You wouldn't." Lucas replied in an uncaring tone. "I might push you, though."

"Fucker." Peyton pushed his arm while she sat back down.

Lucas eyes followed the tracks until he could no longer see where they led. He wondered what they did lead to, and if it was better than where he was. One day, he wanted to walk the train tracks, just to discover what was out there. He would walk along them, and not care if a train came, because it would have to stop for him before he stopped for it.

"Lucas, check this out." Peyton broke through his thoughts. He turned his head in time to watch as Peyton pressed her burning, hot lighter to his skin. Lucas flinched from the pain, but then laughed when he noticed the wild grin on Peyton's face.

"You're fucking crazy." He shook his head; still not pulling away from the pain the lighter was causing him. "Give me that fucking thing." He pulled the lighter from her hands. He flicked it, making the flame appear. He held it on long enough for the metal around the flame to get hot, then stuck it on the bare skin on Peyton's arm.

Peyton flinched at first and pursed her lips. Slowly, her lips loosened and broke into a smile as the pain slowly reached her whole body. When the metal cooled down, she pulled the lighter from Lucas' hands and stuck it back in her pocket.

"Now we have matching scars." Peyton smiled at him.

"You're such a fucking girl." Lucas laughed.

"Let's get out of here." Peyton swung her legs around. "I wanna get fucking wasted."

"We're already high." Lucas laughed.

"Just get off your ass and let's get some alcohol."

The music was blaring through the speakers when Lucas and Peyton entered the usual party spot for all of the Tree Hill high school kids. It was abnormal to find the two at a high school party, but there was free alcohol and they were never ones to pass up free alcohol. The party was in full swing, and had been for a while. The house was packed to the limits with underage kids. All of them were either drunk or getting there.

They found the keg, where Peyton poured herself a glass. Lucas wasn't much of a beer drinker so he went straight for the hard alcohol. He slammed his first glass of vodka; then filled another one. The alcohol burnt his throat, but he forced himself to get over it quickly. He began to slowly sip on the second one, not bothering to mix it with anything.

"It kind of figures they would be playing music like this!" Peyton shouted to Lucas, trying to make sure he heard over the loud thump of the bass.

"What?" Lucas furrowed his brow.

"You know, pop rap music. The shit they play on the radio that is all about getting a girl to take off her clothes and strip for money, or better yet, for free. They should put on some real music."

Lucas shrugged in response. He did agree with Peyton, but he wasn't there to criticize the music. He just wanted to consume as much alcohol as he could, and then go home and pass out.

"Look who's here." Peyton pointed her finger to Lucas' brother.

Most people wouldn't know by looking that Lucas and Nathan were brothers. If it weren't for the piercing blue eyes they shared, they would have nothing in common. Nathan's hair was a deep shade of brown, almost black, while Lucas' was a sandy blond color. They were both tall, but Nathan had a few more inches than Lucas. Nathan was an athlete and his body proved it, while Lucas never cared enough to get into sports, and was skinny. Nathan always took the time to groom himself and make a good appearance, while most of the time Lucas just got out of bed, changed into clothes that would be lying on the floor, then head to wherever he was going. Both were devastatingly handsome, but in their own way.

"He's fucking hot." Peyton blurted out. "And I'm sorry that's your brother, but he is. Too bad you didn't get his good looks."

"Fuck you." Lucas replied. "He's a fucking asshole. I don't know how anyone can stand him. He walks around like his shit don't stink and treats people like they don't matter, but somehow, they all manage to worship him."

"They're all robots, programmed to act and think alike," Peyton explained. "And Nathan happens to be their God." Both sat silent for a moment. "You know, I don't get how Haley and Nathan got together. She's a tutor."

"She's too good for him." Lucas shrugged. Peyton flinched at his response. Lucas never spoke nicely about anyone that went to the school.

"How do you even know Haley James?" Peyton turned towards him, still baffled.

"She had to tutor me last year," he shrugged. "Plus, she does date my brother. She's been to our house a few times."

"I didn't think you participated in family things."

"I don't." He shrugged. "But, when Karen asks me to join them for dinner, I do. There's been times Haley's had dinner with us. Karen loves her. My dad doesn't, though. He thinks she's nothing but a distraction for Nathan. Not that I care."

"Right." Peyton rolled her eyes.

"We should probably stay away from him, unless you want to see a fist fight." He warned.

"Have you ever fought your brother?" Peyton questioned.

"Hell yeah," he nodded.

"Have you guys ever gotten along?"

"Yeah, maybe when we were little," he shrugged, not wanting to get too much into detail. "But then he started becoming Dan and that's when we started not getting along."

"Did you ever see him before, you know, your mom-"

"Fuck Peyton, what's with all of the questions?" Lucas interrupted her. "We're here to get drunk and high, not to relive our pasts."

Peyton never asked Lucas about his mom, and this was the reason why. Every time she brought up the subject, he would bite her head off. There were times he would reference his mother, but he would never go into detail about his relationship with her. It made her beyond curious to know what was going on with him.

"Calm down, Lucas," she shook her head, "I was just asking my best friend a question about his life, excuse me."

"Yeah, well, don't." She rolled her eyes, but he didn't notice it.

The two stood in silence for a while. Peyton was upset Lucas didn't want to be asked questions about his mother, and Lucas was pissed she was asking. The subject of Deb was a sore one for Lucas. He always became defensive when she was brought up, and would immediately change the subject, or bite someone's head off. He tried to pretend that everybody didn't know about what happened with her, but truth was, everybody did know.

"Oh, look, it's my brother," Nathan spoke in a sarcastically sweet tone when he noticed Lucas was there. "I'm so glad he is here. You know, maybe we can get some drugs off him. Anybody want some crack?"

"Fuck you, Nathan, I don't smoke crack." Lucas spoke through gritted teeth. "Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Oh, I would, big brother, but the thing is, I miss our brotherly bonding time." It was obvious Nathan was drunk by the way his words were slightly slurring together. "So, what brings you two losers out to our party?"

"Free alcohol." Peyton held up her glass. "Plus, I really want to watch Lucas kick your ass."

"You really think my pathetic excuse for a brother could kick my ass?" Nathan questioned.

"Yep." She boasted.

"Peyton, shut up." Lucas told her; annoyed she was picking a fight. His brother was an ass, but the last thing Lucas wanted was everyone's attention turned towards them. It was too late though. Most everyone was already watching the impending fight between the brothers.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "I don't know why _my_ mother even cares about you." He snorted. "Your own mother never did. In fact, isn't that why she's-"

"Shut up, Nathan." Lucas cut in. "Shut the fuck up!"

"Sore spot, Lucas?" Nathan prodded. "What? You don't want everyone knowing your mother was-"

Before Nathan could finish, Lucas charged at him and tackled him to the ground. The two started rolling around, all of their limbs flailing about, hoping to strike the other, and hard. A group of people circled around the two, amused by the sibling rivalry. It took four guys to break them apart. As they stood opposite each other, both wiped blood from their faces.

"Get out of here, Lucas. You don't even like coming to these parties." Jake, Nathan's basketball teammate ordered him. "Peyton, get him out of here. We can't have the cops showing up; there are a hundred underage drinkers here."

"Yeah, you better leave, bitch!" Nathan shouted as Peyton pulled Lucas from the party.

"Nathan!" Jake yelled at him. "Quit it! I don't want the cops called! Not everyone has a dad willing to pay for their ass to get out of trouble."

Nathan turned abruptly, then shoved someone out of his way. He went to the keg and poured himself another drink. His scowl faded and his heart leapt when he noticed Haley through the crowd. She was talking to a few friends, and he could tell by her gestures she was upset about something.

Lucas walked with haste away from the house. He wiped the blood from his cut lip with his shirtsleeve. He could already feel his bottom lip starting to swell. His knuckles ached from having hit his brother and other various inanimate objects in an attempt to hit Nathan.

He walked as fast as his legs could carry him, not sure of where he was going. Peyton was following behind him, having trouble keeping up with him. She kept yelling for him to wait, but he would ignore her requests. It wasn't until they reached the river court that they stopped. It wasn't intentional that he ended up there, but it was a place he would go to alone to think ever since he was a child. Lucas wasn't sure why he'd found the place to be so comforting. It was just a run-down basketball court next to a river.

"Lucas, what the hell?" Peyton finally caught up to him. She bent over, putting her hands on her knees, to try and catch her breath. "I'm so not in shape to run like that." Her chest heaved as she tried to calm down. "I really need to quit smoking."

"Peyton, just go home," Lucas requested, "I really don't want to be around anyone right now. I just want to be alone."

"All you did was get into a fight with your brother." Peyton snorted. "You guys fight all the time, why are you so upset about it?"

"I just don't want to talk right now, Peyton." Lucas spoke, annoyed. "Just go home and I'll call you tomorrow or something."

"Whatever." Peyton gave up, getting angry with him. She turned on her heel, and then left Lucas to be alone.

Lucas walked slowly around the basketball court until he found a good spot to sit. The grass tickled his bare legs as they stretched out in front of him. He placed his hands on his lap, and caught sight of a red spot on his shirt. It was blood that had soaked through from his arm. He pulled up the sleeve to inspect the cut. As he pulled it up, the scars from previous cuts were prominent. There were many old scars as well as three new cuts, and that was only one of his arms.

Lucas was forced to wear long sleeves because of the cutting he did and that night he was cursing himself for having to. The stagnant night air was thick with humidity and didn't cool any after the sun went down. It was normal temperature for late June. A musty smell radiated from the river and invaded Lucas' nostrils. He drew in a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill his lungs.

He lied back onto the grass, and put his hands behind his head, using them as a headrest. The night sky was bright, stars decorating it. There was a minimal amount of clouds threatening to invade the starry sky and take over. Lucas felt like he had something in common with the sky. The stars had no power over whether or not they would be covered up and shielded from the world, just like Lucas had no control over his life.

As he gazed into the sky, he wished for one of the stars to beam its magical light down on him and take him away. Lucas knew that was an irrational thought, but he wished for anything to take him away from it all. Nothing in his life seemed to go good, and it'd been that way since the day he was born. He was born into a life where nothing good would ever come to him and he would endlessly be punished just for being born. He wondered if maybe in a previous life he had been a serial murderer who never got just punishment.

He sighed, and then sat up. The next morning he had his first day of community service, and he had to be up early. It was already too late for him to get a decent amount of sleep, but some was better than none.


	2. Closer

Thanks to all of you who reviewed! 

Artemis no Himitsu- I'd be really interested to know what you think happened to Deb. It would be pretty awesome of you if you could actually guess what happened.

BrucasFanatic ()- Thank-you so much!

BrUcAsLuVr4eVr, Darkangel22192, mikki, silverfoxx01, Brynn-Thank-you for the reviews!

Thank-you to Gia for being my beta and fixing all of my errors!

Just so you know, there is a pretty dark scene in this chapter. I don't condone this type of behavior, but for purposes of this story, it was necessary! I hope you enjoy!

Oh yeah...the song for this story is definitely M-Rated. It's Closer by Nine Inch Nails. It's a very intense song. If you've seen The Hitcher with Sophia Bush, you've heard it. But, it is very mature themed. Just so you know.

Lucas' body dripped in sweat under the heat from the sun. He had long ago taken off his shirt to try to cool down, but the only thing that guaranteed was a sunburn on his back. He pulled a sweat rag from the back pocket of his khaki shorts, and wiped his brow. Even the breeze coming off the ocean wasn't enough to cool him down. He put his rag back, and then pulled out a bottle of water.

He dropped the water bottle to the sand, and then pulled out his pack of cigarettes. As he lit one, he noticed his supervisor staring at him. He gave the man a smirk, and then puffed on the cigarette. He'd been reprimanded once already that day about stopping to smoke, but that didn't stop him.

Dirt was under Lucas' finger nails, as well as smudged all over his fingers. His fingers were thin and bony, the knuckles protruding more than they should be. He brought the cigarette up and placed it between his chapped lips. Without realizing it, he smudged some dirt from his fingers onto his face, not that he would have cared if he did know. After he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, the smoke billowed from his lips. A strand of his dirty blond hair fell into his face, and he shook it away. His hair was getting long, but he didn't care. He never did anything with it, and barely washed it. At the moment it was greasy. Greasy enough that he could run his fingers through it and it would stay in place. It reached the top of his ears now. He would shave it soon, whenever he could get to it. His blue eyes scanned disapprovingly over the occupants of the beach, then over the ocean. Blue eyes that used to be so full of life, so...vibrant. Now they were dull, fading towards a grey, his life seeming to be drained from them.

"Lucas," the supervisor called to him, "you realize you're underage. I can give you a ticket for smoking."

Lucas gave the man another prideful smirk, and then took another puff. He watched on as the others tediously picked up trash. They were all mad at Lucas; he could see it written all over their faces and the way they acted around him when they were allowed a break. That didn't stop him, though.

"Lucas!" He heard a familiar voice shout his name. He turned in the direction of the voice to see a head full of curly, blonde hair coming towards him. A smile fell on his lips as he looked up at the supervisor. "What the hell is up, Lucas?"

"Doin' community service," he spoke with a hint of obviousness is his voice. "What does it look like I'm doin'?"

"It looks like you're doin' nothin'," she laughed. "You want to get out of here and get high?"

"I'd love to, but the pig up there won't let me." He pointed to the short, taut, balding man. "He's an ass and won't let us do anything except for this." He kicked the pick he was ordered to use to pick the trash up.

"Who cares?" Peyton asked, incredulously. "You can run faster than that fat man . . . Let's get out of here."

"Scott!" The man yelled. "No visitors while we're working!"

"Yes, sir!" Lucas saluted the man, sarcastically. "How do you suggest I get out of here?"

"Tell him you've gotta go to the bathroom or something," she shrugged. "Be creative, Luke." He cringed hearing her call him Luke. It was a nickname only his real mom ever called him.

"Lucas." He corrected her.

"Whatever, _Lucas,_" she rolled her eyes.

"Meet me at the bridge in twenty."

"'Atta boy, Lucas!" Peyton slugged him in the shoulder while giggling. "Don't get in trouble!" She teased as she walked away.

Lucas shook his head, and then threw his cigarette to the ground. He picked up his pick and started stabbing at trash on the ground. He didn't want it to be obvious what he was about to do, so he took his time. Ten minutes later, he asked to go to the bathroom, which the guard allowed. He went into the bathroom, where he knew there was a window on the backside of the building. It was a struggle to get the window to open, but he managed to get it open enough for him to pull his slender body through it. After he landed on the pavement, he wiped his clothes and headed off, not bothering to disguise himself in case someone found him sneaking away.

"Took you long enough!" Peyton yelled when he finally appeared at the bridge. "I thought I was gonna have to smoke this without you!" She raised the already lit joint in the air. "Okay, well, I did start smokin' without you." She giggled.

"Give that to me." He snatched it from her hand, and then took a drag off it. "This is so much better than pickin' used condoms up off the beach." Smoke billowed form his mouth as he spoke.

"Used condoms?!" Peyton burst out laughing. "No way!"

"It's not funny." He was not amused.

After calming down, Peyton took the joint back from Lucas and started puffing on it. Things between the two grew quiet as they finished off the joint. She swung her legs back and forth over the edge of the bridge, kicking the wall as she did so. It annoyed Lucas, and she knew it did, but he didn't attempt to try and stop her. Instead, they listened to the rhythmic beating of her feet.

"So, there were really used condoms on the beach?" Peyton asked, breaking he silence.

"A couple," he shrugged, not really interested.

"They're probably from your skanky ass." Peyton laughed, "all those hoes you sleep with."

"I am not the skanky one." Lucas became defensive. "You are the skanky one. I don't sleep with someone new every night. By the way, have you gone and gotten that rash checked out?"

"Shut up," Peyton pushed him, "I didn't have no rash. Besides, at least I'm gettin' some. You act like you're too good for everyone."

"No," Lucas shook his head, "I just don't see the point."

"Are you fuckin' kidding?" Peyton scoffed at him. "You're a guy, that's supposed to be all you think about."

"Well, it's not." Lucas said forcefully, hoping she would change the subject.

"Are you gay?" She looked at him, serious. "If you are, that's okay. I'll still love you and you'll still be my best friend. That could explain why you are the way you are, all messed up and shit."

"I'm not gay, Peyton," Lucas sighed, annoyed. "I just don't like sex."

"Have you ever had sex?" Peyton was in disbelief.

"Yes!" Lucas snapped. "Fuck, Peyton, since when did you become all nosy? The other night you were askin' me all kind of questions about my brother and shit, and now sex? Why? Just leave me alone."

"Okay, you really need to get laid." Peyton laughed. "Maybe that'll loosen you up a bit."

Lucas let out a loud, frustrated groan, and then got up to walk away from Peyton. She started shouting behind him, but he ignored her. He didn't wait for her to catch up to him, and she didn't follow.

He wasn't ready to go home and face Dan yet. He was bored, though, and his buzz was starting to fade already. He kicked some rocks that were on the pavement, the only amusing thing he could find. As he walked along, he found an abandoned skateboard. Interested, he kicked it over onto its wheels. He'd never tried to skateboard before, but he was bored and would try anything to amuse himself. He placed one foot on the board, then, kicked off with his other. Immediately, he fell hard onto the pavement.

"Ow, shit!" He moaned in pain, rubbing his backside.

Not one to give up easily, Lucas stood up to try the skateboard again. This time he was able to kick off and glide down the road a few feet, before he lost his balance and went slamming to the ground again. He was starting to get frustrated. Nothing stopped Lucas from doing what he wanted though, and this skateboard definitely wasn't going to beat him. He stepped onto the board again, and managed to stay on longer than just a few seconds. After screwing around on the board for a bit, he rode it home, deciding to keep it just in case.

"Nice to see you home, son," Dan's sarcastic voice greeted Lucas as soon as he entered the house. "I heard you skipped out on community service today." Lucas shrugged in response. "That just means they're adding a day onto your sentence and now you aren't allowed bathroom breaks."

"Oh well," Lucas sighed, trying to push past the built man. "Can I go to my room or are you going to stand in front of me all night?" He gave up on trying to push past him. His dad was much larger than he was.

"No, Lucas, I want an explanation," Dan firmly spoke. "Where the hell did you go?"

"To get high," Lucas said in an uncaring tone. "Now, can I get passed you please?"

"You listen to me," Dan grabbed him by the arm, "do you want to die like your mother did?"

"Don't fucking talk about my mother!" Lucas spat in his face. He reached his hand over and grabbed Dan's hand that was cutting off circulation in his arm. He tried to pry his fingers away, but the grip was too tight. "You didn't give a shit about her, just like you don't give a shit about me!"

"That's where you're wrong, son." Dan released his grasp, pushing him back as he did so. "I did care about your mother. She didn't care about me. Now get out of my sight, before I really cause you harm."

"Fuck you." Lucas hissed at him, while pushing past him. Karen came from the kitchen just as he was passing by it, and she tried to stop him, but he shook his arm from her grasp. She tried to call after him, but he ignored her.

The door to his room slammed shut after he stormed through it. He immediately went to the bathroom and pulled his razor from the cabinet. He turned the water on low, and then bent over the sink. His fingers trembled as he brought the blade up and pressed it against his skin, between two other cuts that were already there. With the first penetration the blade made into the skin, he felt a release. He drew air in between his teeth as the pain from the blade slicing his skin passed through him. His eyes squeezed shut as he focused on the pain, trying to control it. With each millimeter, the pain worsened, and he soaked in it. He pushed harder, hoping to cause more discomfort for himself. His fingers only pressed so hard until they became afraid of causing too much damage. After dragging the blade across, he opened his eyes to view what he had done. Blood seeped from the incision left from the razor. He hung his arm over the sink, letting it drip. The red liquid mixed with the flowing water, turning a pink color, then passed down the drain.

Lucas became mesmerized watching the red flow from his cut, running down his arm; then dropping into the sink. The bleeding didn't slow at all, and he was amazed how much blood there was. Coldness started to circle the cut, adding more sensation to the pain. The cold grew outward and soon reached the tips of his fingers. His fingers started to quiver and go numb, and he knew that he was losing too much blood. He reached for a towel to press against his wound. Tightly, he held the white towel against his arm until he assumed the blood stopped flowing. He pulled back the towel to check on it, only to have more blood trickle form the cut. Frustrated, he let out a sigh, and pressed the towel harder against his arm. The blood seeped through the towel, permanently staining it. He would have to throw the towel out to keep what he did a secret.

After controlling the bleed, he put a sweatband around his arm, over the cut. He went back to his room, where he put his headphones and blasted _Freebird_ by _Lynyrd Skynyrd_ . He pulled out the journal he hid under his bed, and started to scribble as fast as his hand would allow him to write.

Community service was more horrible the second day than it was the first. The guard kept a tighter eye on Lucas, and was more threatening than the first. Plus, his new cut was stinging beneath the sweatband he put over it. His back was burnt from the first day, and the sun rays were making it even more unbearable. His right hand had a blister on it from the wooden shaft on the tool used to pick up the trash, so he tried to use his left, but it didn't seem to work right. There were no cool breezes coming off the ocean to give him a break from the unbearable heat. He'd forgotten to grab a bottle of water before leaving his house that morning, and brought no money to get one, and his mouth was so dry, it felt like sandpaper. The worst part was he'd only been there for an hour, which meant he had four more to go.

He started to despise the people who sat on their beach towels, soaking in the suns rays, trying to get a tan. They were sitting out under this hot sun because they wanted to, and here he was, close to being tortured. He started to dream about taking his pick and stabbing the unknowing people right through the chest for being so carefree. Didn't they know what the sun rays were doing to their bodies? Not that Lucas cared, he was just miserable, and wanted everyone else to be as well.

"I need water!" Lucas shouted to his supervisor. The man wiped a fake tear from his face, then turned away from Lucas' stare. Lucas' nostrils flared and he gripped his hands in tight fists. "I want some fuckin' water!" He shouted again, deciding not to take no for an answer.

"There's a whole ocean full of it!" The man shouted back.

Without even thinking about it, Lucas smirked at the guy, then walked towards the ocean and immersed himself in the water. The saltwater cooled him down immediately. It was early into the summer, so the water was still cold from the winter months, but it was the perfect temperature for him at that moment. It didn't occur to him he was still wearing his khaki shorts and shoes.

He emerged from the ocean dripping wet, and went back to picking up trash. It was amazing to Lucas how much garbage accumulated on the beach. There were posters placed everywhere that warned of being fined for littering, yet somehow, people still managed to trash it.

After community service ended, Peyton showed up to pick Lucas up in her mother's _Eclipse_. She bragged about how she stole it because her mom didn't know she had it, and she had just taken the keys from her purse and drove off with it, but Lucas didn't think you could actually steal from your parents. _Closer_ by _Nine Inch Nails_ was playing on the cd player when Lucas got in. He thought the song was disgusting, but he loved it for the same reason.

"Where are we goin'?" Lucas questioned Peyton. She wasn't driving in the direction of anything the two would hang out at.

"We're just gonna drive."

She turned the car onto a country road, and pressed the pedal almost to the floor. The engine roared as the car caught up to the pressure she was exerting on the foot pedal. Wind ripped through the car, causing Peyton's hair to fly wildly all over the place. Lucas turned to look at the speedometer, and noticed she was going rather fast. When he turned his attention back towards the road, she started driving down the center of the two-lane highway. A rush of adrenaline was pumping through both of their bodies, as the fear of imminent death ripped through them. Peyton took her hands from the steering wheel and pressed them to the roof of the car. Her head fell back as she started laughing. Lucas shook his head, but couldn't help the smile that formed on his own mouth.

He climbed out of his window and stood. The wind was strong, pulling him backwards to the point where he thought he was going to fall. He held onto the inside tight, feeling the wind tear across his face. His clothes whipped around him, making a thudding sound every time it would flap across his body. He let go with one of his hands and threw it into the air. The wind was strong. He had to hold on with all of the force one hand could have. The car swerved and Lucas lost his grip. He fell back, slamming against the car. He panicked, and stuck his hands out, hoping to grab something to hold onto. His hands found the back part of the window, and held on tight. With all of his strength, he pulled himself back into the car. His chest was heaving from being out of breath.

"You dumbass!" Peyton shouted over the music and wind.

Lucas ignored her comment, and concentrated on catching his breath. When his breathing started to normalize, he looked up to see where they were going. His breath hitched in his throat when he saw what was going on on the road. Peyton was driving head-on towards a semi. Lucas wanted to yell at her to stop, and get in her own lane, but he didn't want to seem weak. His heart started pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears.

"We're playin' chicken!" Peyton laughed. "Who do you think is going to win?"

Peyton's fingers wrapped tight around the steering wheel, so tight her knuckles started to turn white. She pressed harder on the gas, making the engine whine louder. Her face turned serious, and she was concentrating on playing this game so much, Lucas was sure she wouldn't hear him if he did shout. The semi blared its horn; obviously the driver was starting to panic.

"I'm gonna win." Peyton said to herself. She started repeating it over and over again.

"Peyton!" Lucas shouted. They were getting dangerously close to the semi, and there was a better chance of them getting out of the way than the semi. "Peyton!" He yelled again.

Lucas eyes grew wide with fear. The semi was bounding for them, and there was only one way out of this now. His heart pounded, his ears plugged. He wondered if this is what it felt like just before you died. He was disappointed; he thought there was supposed to be a flash of his life, first. He put his hands on the dashboard, and pressed down, some how thinking maybe that would stop the car. Lucas knew a crash was inevitable, so he slammed back in his chair and shut his eyes.

_"Lucas, honey, come on. We're going to get some ice cream." Karen's soft voice echoed through the child's bedroom. "Come on, my boy, this is going to be our little thing, okay?" _

_A tiny Lucas sat up in his bed and looked across the room towards his step-mom. His eyes burned from crying so hard, and they were swollen for the same reason. His cheeks were puffy and red. He wiped his wet face, not knowing if he understood the petite brunette correctly. No one ever cared before, why was his dad's wife, his mom's rival, caring now? _

_"Come on," she sat down next to the child. Her hand caressed the side of his face. "Lucas, you're going to be okay, okay? I'm going to be here to protect you from all the bad things, now. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I know I am not your mother, but I'm going to try my best to be that to you. You deserve someone that cares for you, because you are a special little boy. No matter what anyone tells you, you always believe that, okay?" _

_Lucas nodded his head. He wasn't sure he could believe it, but the way Karen's brown eyes were looking at him; it almost made him believe she was right. She believed it; he could see it in her eyes. _

The semi blared his horn again and Lucas opened his eyes. Just as the two vehicles were about to collide, Peyton swerved. The car lost control, and they spun around until they slowed down in the middle of a field.

"Holy shit!" Peyton laughed after they stopped. "That was some intense shit."

"Fuck," Lucas let go of the breath he was holding. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I was just havin' fun," Peyton shrugged, turning the engine on again. "That was fun."

"That was insane."

"You loved it, shut up."

"Peyton, if I am gonna die, I want it to be on my own terms, not yours."

"Hey, what better way to go than at your best friend's hands? Besides, that semi would have swerved if I wouldn't have. That guy that was drivin' was shittin' his pants; I could see it on his face."

"Let's just get out of here before that semi driver comes back to torture and murder us. Haven't you ever seen _Joyride_? Semi drivers are lunatics, and now we possibly have one stalking us."

"Shut up!"


	3. Light My Fire

**Here's the next chapter! YAY! The song is Light My Fire by The Doors. GREAT band...old...but I love them! One of my all time favorites...if you don't have a song fo theirs on your iTunes, I highly recommend Light My Fire, People Are Strange, Riders On The Storm, Hello, I Love You, L.A. Woman...they're great. Anway, I'm done being a commercial now...I hope you like the chapter! Read and Review!**

**Once again...a HUGE thanks to Gia for her help with this story! It was her idea to add this...so we can get a little bit more of Lucas' perspective...**

Lucas reluctantly followed Peyton through the parking lot towards the entrance of Bottoms Up; the one bar in their town that didn't ID, or if they did, didn't pay enough attention to know the underagers were using a fake one. It took a long time for Peyton to persuade Lucas to go to the bar, something he didn't like to do because of all of the people usually there. She had to promise him numerous drinks and shots before he agreed to it.

The bar wasn't too busy that night, though. It was the middle of the week, and only a few alcoholics and people who had bad days were there. It reeked of cigarette smoke and liquor, a scent that wouldn't come out of their clothing for days if left unwashed. The bartender was an older man, with graying hair down to his shoulders. He had a goatee that was longer than most, and he looked much like a typical 'biker' would look like. He eyed the two as soon as they walked through the door, trying to remember if he'd seen them in there before.

"Two Bud Lights and two Jager Bombs," Peyton barked upon reaching the bar, acting as though this was a normal routine for her.

The bartender nodded, and then went to fix their drinks. The two blonds turned around to survey the scene around them. There were mostly older men sitting at the bar, but in the corner, were a few younger women. They appeared to be in their late twenties, maybe early thirties. A blonde from the group had been eyeing Lucas since the moment he walked into the bar with Peyton.

"You know, it's fucked up that she keeps checking you out," Peyton turned towards Lucas, "you came here with me, who says you're not my boyfriend?"

"No fights tonight, Peyton," Lucas sighed, turning back around to rest his elbows on the bar. "I don't feel like running from the cops."

"Whatever," she grumbled.

The bartender brought them their beers and their shots. It was nothing for the two to throw back the Jager Bombs, and then started downing their beers. Before long, they were done with those and on to another shot and another beer. After getting their second beer, the two grew bored and decided to play darts to amuse themselves. Peyton was better than Lucas at darts, she was more interested than he was; at least that's what he claimed every time she beat him. Lucas had a rather competitive side, so when he lost at things, or wasn't any good, he just claimed to not be interested.

"You really suck at darts, you do know that," Peyton laughed when Lucas' dart hit the outside of the dartboard, instead of inside of the circle. "This really isn't even a game. It's just practice for me." She stood up at the line and threw her darts, landing them all either in or around the bulls-eye.

"I hate this game," Lucas grunted. "Let's play pool or somethin' instead."

"Okay, Lucas," Peyton rolled her eyes, and finished off the game.

Lucas set up the pool table for them, and then waited for her to finish. He was much better at pool. At least good enough to hold his own against Peyton. He despised it when she started bragging about being better than him at anything. With pool, he could at least talk smack back at her, instead of just having to take it.

"I get to go first since I kicked your ass at darts," Peyton pushed him out of her way. She lined up her shot, and then set the pool-stick flying forwards, hitting the cue ball, which split the racked balls at the end of the pool table. None of the balls went in, so it was then Lucas' turn. He made his first shot in, and then proceeded to make three more in before he scratched.

"You've been practicin'," Peyton eyed him, leaning down to take her shot. A solid green ball went flying into the corner pocket. "I guess I have to play catch up," she shrugged nonchalantly. Another went soaring into a pocket, and then she missed a shot.

Lucas bent over to take his shot, and Peyton started laughing out loud before he could. He stood up, aggravated by her sudden outburst. She tended to distract him on purpose if he was winning at something. He gave her a pointed look, but she just continued to laugh.

"What the fuck is so funny?" He eyed her.

"That chick over there is checking out your ass every time you bend over," she sniggered. "I think you have an admirer." Lucas' eyes flashed over to the blonde in the corner. She gave him her best seductive smile, and then winked before looking away. Lucas shook his head, amused, but annoyed at the same time.

"She's thirty, and probably has three kids at home," Lucas snorted. "I doubt I'll waste my time on that tonight."

"You're such a prude!" Peyton shoved him in the shoulder.

He rolled his eyes, and they went back to shooting pool. Lucas ended up winning the game, so it was his turn to gloat for awhile. By the time the next game ended, the two were more than just a bit buzzed. They were talking louder, and laughing more frequently.

"That girl is staring again, Lucas!" Peyton bursted out, laughing once again. "You should really just go over there and put her out of her misery."

"Nah," he shook his head, "she can come talk to me if she wants it that bad. I don't do the work, you know that."

"Ohh, heartbreaker, Scott," she teased. "What would you do if she came over here, anyway? You don't like sex."

"Shut-up, Peyton, you know what I'd do. Why do you care, anyway?"

"I'm just playin' around, Lucas, you don't need to get so uptight. You really need to get laid. Just take that girl home and fuck her, who cares? Nobody will know about it."

Lucas rolled his eyes, and walked away to go to the bathroom. Sometimes he forgot why he was even friends with Peyton. She got pleasure in driving him crazy and pushing his buttons. Then he remembered that nobody would put up with his careless antics like Peyton would. Well, she more like egged him on than put up with him.

"Hey!" Called a smiling voice from behind him as he exited the bathroom. He contemplated walking away, but Lucas was always up for a game.

"Are you talking to me?" He placed his hand on his chest. The blonde from early stood there, looking at him through innocent eyes. Her head bobbed up and down in response. She wasn't as bad looking as Lucas had originally thought. Her blond hair was straight, down to her shoulders, and curled under slightly. Her bangs hung over half of her small forehead. She had big, brown eyes and semi-full lips. Lucas didn't find her breathtakingly beautiful, but she was cute.

"My friend," an older brunette girl broke in between the two, "wants to know if that's your girlfriend." She stuck a stout finger in the direction of Peyton, who was now flirting with some guy playing darts.

"Maybe," he shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Would it matter if she was?" Of course, Peyton wasn't his girlfriend, but stringing the girl along for a moment sounded fun for him.

"Maybe," the blonde spoke up, pushing her friend back. "Are you in love with her?" She raised her eyebrow tauntingly at him, and then licked her lips. Lucas almost laughed at her attempt to seduce him. He held it back, though, and decided to play along.

"Define _love_," he shot back at her.

"Needing to be around her, touch her, kiss her, feel her bare skin against yours," she ran her index finger up Lucas' arm, softly. He pulled back from her touch, not enjoying the feeling.

"Nah, guess not," he shrugged, and then walked away, leaving the blonde with her mouth hanging open. He could feel her eyes boring through him as he walked away, but he was leaving her just the way he wanted her, wanting more.

"'Bout time you got back!" Peyton shouted, jerking herself away from the guy she was flirting with. The guy glared at Lucas, but went on with his game. "Should we play another game of pool?"

"I need another beer," Lucas had just finished the rest of his beer and then slammed it down on their table. "Let's do another shot, I'm not drunk enough yet."

"Good idea!"

They went towards the bar, and got their drinks. They did a shot of Jose this time, instead of a Jager Bomb. Peyton flashed the bartender as much cleavage as she could to try to get a bigger shot glass, and it worked. The alcohol stung as it slipped down their throats, but the lime they used to chase it eased the pain. They decided to do another before going back to the pool table.

"I saw that girl talking to you, was she trying to get down your pants?"

"No, she asked me if you were my girlfriend," Lucas rolled his eyes. "You were over here hangin' all over that guy, and she still asked me."

"Don't look now, but she's comin' back," Peyton stuck her face into her drink and turned away from Lucas, her eyes wide in an amusing manner.

"So, I never caught your name!" The girl yelled over the music.

"That's because I never told you," Lucas smirked, raising his drink to his lips and taking a swig. The fact that Lucas didn't care whether he went home with this girl or not allowed him to have the confidence to speak to her this way. Plus, he'd been hit on enough times before to know he was a good looking guy.

"I'm Allie!" She shouted, trying to keep the conversation going, and his interest.

"Allie?" He questioned, turning his body towards her, giving her the universal signal for being interested. "I pictured you more as a Sarah, or Lisa or something."

"Oh, yeah?" She quirked her eyebrow, biting on her bottom lip. Now she thought he was interested. "So, that means you thought of me."

"Maybe," he turned away from her, taking another drink. "Tell me, Angie…"

"Allie!"

"Allie, right. Why did you come all the way over here to talk to me?"

"I wanted to get to know you more," she looked up at him through puppy dog eyes. Lucas could see right through her innocent stare, though. He knew exactly what she wanted from him, and he wasn't sure he was willing to let her have it.

"What do you want to know, exactly?"

She bit her lip again, and then stood on her tip toes, and grabbed his arm to balance herself. She brought her lips to his ear, and whispered, "I want to know how you like your breakfast."

Her hand on Lucas' arm was making him quiver, and her hot breath sent tingling sensations throughout his body. He hated it. He didn't want to be touched by anyone, let alone this strange girl who only wanted to get into his pants.

"That's a little presumptuous," Lucas pulled away, not being able to take the touch any longer. "What makes you think I wake up for breakfast?" She stared questioningly at him, her mouth open in an annoying way, and Lucas just gave her his sexiest smirk.

"Do you?"

"Maybe," he shrugged again, taking another sip of his drink. "So, Annie-"

"Allie."

"Right, do you think I'm hot?" He walked away and stuck some money into the pool table slot and the sound of all of the balls clamoring through a trap door banged in their ears.

"Yes," she purred. She was used to guys pawning over her, Lucas could tell by her confidence, but she didn't know what to do with Lucas. Her best line was thrown out the window by him.

"How hot do you think I am?" Lucas grabbed the chalk and started rubbing it onto the end of his pool-stick, his face full of amusement.

"I think," she sauntered towards him, and dragged her finger along the back of his shoulders as she passed, stopping on the backside of him to whisper into his ear again, "that you are the sexiest guy I've ever met."

"Is that right?" Lucas smirked. He turned his head to look at Peyton, who was once again flirting with the dart guy. She turned her head to catch his glance, and he rolled his eyes. "What makes you think _you'_re hot enough for _me_?"

She placed her hands on the pool table and bent forward so her cleavage was on full show. "I know how to do things that you'll never forget, and have you begging for more."

Lucas walked around the pool table until he was standing behind her. He leaned forward, making sure not to touch her with his body, and brought his lips to her ear. "What makes you think I haven't already had or done those things?" He walked around to the other end, and shot the ball into the racked ones, scattering them about the table.

The girl stood there, her mouth open. She was stuck; she didn't have anymore lines to use or games to play. He'd out played her. She was ready to walk away, but Lucas didn't want her to go, yet. Peyton was practically humping the darts guy in the corner, and he didn't want to play pool by himself. He stuck the pool-stick out for her to take a shot, and her eyes grew wide with delight. She happily took the stick from him, and took a shot. Out of boredom, he was going to let this girl try and light his fire, although he was sure she wouldn't.

The evening went on with them playing pool, and Peyton hooking up in the corner. Allie tried with all of her might to break Lucas, but he wouldn't budge. He tried hard to let her, but the thought of them being together, naked, and touching, made his stomach turn. He didn't want her lips pressed against his or her sweaty flesh rubbing against his. All night he had to pull back form her touch, and that mixed with his alcohol consumption, was giving him an unsettling feeling. Allie's constant flirting was nothing new he'd seen it so many other times with other woman. Those few times at the beginning he'd given in; he always came out unsatisfied and feeling disgusted. He learned after that to just play with them, and then leave them at the end of the night.

"So, lover," Allie licked her lips, placing her hands on Lucas' knees, "are you coming home with me tonight?" It took all of his control to not roll his eyes at her.

"I wouldn't think of goin' anywhere else," he gave her a fake smile. "It's your turn to shoot pool."

"Right," she giggled. She was beyond sloppily drunk, and that was turning Lucas off even more than just the thought of sex alone. Every time she bent over to shoot, she stuck her ass as far in the air as she could, or showed off her cleavage more than she should, and every time Lucas would roll his eyes, and then give her a fake smile. He was starting to get beyond bored, but he knew better than to interrupt Peyton while she was hooking up.

"Your turn, sexy," she handed him the pool stick.

"Ready to go?" Peyton showed up before he could shoot again.

"Yes," Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know how much longer he could take the girl's flirting. She was cute, but all she wanted was to sleep with him, and to him, that was disgusting, and made his skin crawl.

"You're leaving?" Allie frowned.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded.

"What about me?"

"I'll call you!" Lucas shouted behind him as he and Peyton made for the door. He didn't turn around to see her face, because he already knew that she was probably about to cry. That or she had a look of utter shock on her face, not being able to believe she'd been turned down completely. It made him chuckle to himself when he thought about it.

"I see you didn't get lucky tonight," Peyton laughed as they walked hastily away from the bar.

"I see you did," Lucas retorted.

"You goin' home?"

"No, I think I want you to cut my hair."

"What?" Peyton laughed.

"It's botherin' the hell out of me. So, just cut it off."

"I'm drunk off my ass and you want me to cut your hair?" Peyton looked at him incredulously. He just nodded. "Okay, but don't get pissed at me when it's all fucked up."

The next thing Lucas knew, he was in Peyton's room, sitting on a wooden chair, waiting for her to get her clippers. His hair was wet already and it hung in his eyes. Finally, she emerged with the clippers.

"Can I do what I want to it?" She questioned.

"Just don't make it too fucked up."

"How 'bout a mohawk?"

"Whatever."

The buzz from the clippers soon bursted through the room, and then Lucas felt her skimming the sides of his head. There was a couple times Peyton started to snicker, which pissed Lucas off, but the end product wasn't as bad as it could have been. There was a short mohawk streaking down the middle of the top of his head. It actually looked good on him. He checked it a few times in the mirror to make sure it wasn't too bad, and then gave a shrug to Peyton as a thanks.

"I gotta go, community service in the morning."

"Have fun! I'll be sleeping," she teased. Lucas rolled his eyes, and left her house. It was late, and he was sure Dan or Karen wouldn't be waiting up for him, at least he hoped. He wasn't in the right state to be getting into an argument with either of them.

Much to his dismay, Karen was waiting up when he got home. He tried to sneak past her without waking her up from her slumber on the couch, but she woke as soon as he closed the door. She sat up groggily, and rubbed her eyes. He sneaked out of the room before she could fully comprehend what was going on. He stripped himself of his clothes and slipped into bed, hoping she would just go to bed.

"Lucas?" Her head slipped into his room, and his heart sunk.

"Yeah?" He sighed, resigning to the fact she'd caught him.

Her feet padded across the floor, and he felt the bed sink and heard it creak as she sat down. He could only make out slight features form her face by the light of the streetlight outside. She was tired, it was written all over her face. A slight tinge of guilt coursed through him for putting her through this. Sometimes he wished she didn't care so much about him.

"Lucas, dear, you know you shouldn't be out this late," she placed her small hand on his arm. "I worry about you. Plus, with you already having community service, you'll only make it worse for yourself."

"I'm sorry, Karen, I lost track of time," he lied. He hated lying to her. "I was at Peyton's, just hanging out."

"I can smell alcohol on you, Lucas. You don't need to lie to me."

"I-" He wanted to tell her he was sorry again, but didn't think it would make a difference.

"Please, Lucas, this has to stop. You're so much better than this. You have a lot to offer, you know. I just wish you saw it. And that Peyton, she doesn't help. She just eggs you on. The next time, Lucas, just let me know if you're going to be out this late."

"Okay, Karen, I will."

"Get some sleep. From the smell of you, I can tell you're going to need it. You've got to be up early."

"I know, and I will."

When he heard the door shut after Karen left, Lucas sat up in the bed. He had the bed spins horribly, and he knew if he lay down any longer he would vomit all over the place. He went to the kitchen and got some aspirin before returning to bed, where he had to sleep with one foot on the floor and one touching the headboard to keep form puking. He thought he'd drunk enough in his lifetime to not have to suffer through this, and when he did, he tormented himself about why he had to drink so much. But, the tormenting always faded away the next time he would start to drink.

**Okay, I know you guys want to kill me for lack of Brooke, yet, but I promise it is coming soon! I just had to get this stuff out there so that you can understand how Lucas is, and some of the ways he thinks. So, this chapter was important for that, and is definitely leading to them meeting. So, if you'll just hang in there, we'll get to it! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think? What do you think of Peyton? I'm curious about that. I am personally liking my Peyton and wish that the Peyton on my show was more like her...LOL Anyway...press that review button!**


	4. Be Yourself

**Hey! Thanks for all of the reviews...I really enjoyed them! I think you'll like this chapter...**

**A HUGE thanks to Gia for helping me out so much with this...and trying to get a particular scene as good as we can! Also, the song is Be Yourself by Audioslave...GREAT song!  
**

"Damien called for you while you were out today," Karen told Lucas while he rummaged through the refrigerator for something to eat. Seeing Lucas eat was an unusual occurrence. Although, nobody seemed to notice that Lucas went sometimes more than one day without eating.

"He did?" Lucas pulled his head from the fridge to look at his step-mom.

Damien was a seven year old Lucas met during one of his community service excursions. He was made to be a Big Brother. At first, he hated the idea, but as soon as he met Damien, he couldn't help but like him. The little boy came from a poor home. His father left him when he was young, and his mother was struggling to keep food on the table, but none of that seemed to bother the child. Lucas admired that about the kid. So, after the community service project was over, he made a point to keep in contact with the little man.

"It's still early enough to call him. He was excited about something, but I couldn't get out of him what it was."

Lucas immediately ditched the idea of eating, and called Damien. The boy was excited about a basketball his mom bought him, and desperately wanted Lucas to take him out to learn how to play. Lucas promised him that the next day he would be at his house as soon as he was done cleaning up the beach. One of Lucas' favorite things about the kid was how he didn't judge Lucas at all. In fact, Lucas was more like a hero to him. He didn't know that Lucas had all kinds of problems, or that he hated his life. He envied Lucas. He tried to emulate everything Lucas did.

After his conversation with Damien, Lucas grew excited for the next day to come. It was unusual for him to be excited about anything, so it was a revelation. That night at dinner he didn't start any fights, and even tried to hold small talk with his family. He gave up though, since Nathan and Dan already had an opinion about him, and it wouldn't change.

Dinner went better than normal, and afterwards he went to his bedroom. He pulled out his journal, and started to write. Writing had become one of Lucas' releases when things became too tough, in contrast to the many others, this release was actually healthy for him. It didn't take long for him to fill a journal. He had about five stacked in his closet, already.

There was a soft knock on the door, which caused Lucas to shut his journal. He got up to open the door, and was surprised to see Haley standing on the other side. She looked nervous, and was fidgeting with her fingers.

"Hey Lucas," her voice was soft, not full of her usual confidence. "I just wanted to come say hey and see what's up."

"Oh," Lucas gave her a dejected reply, "well, not much really. Do you want to come in and sit down?"

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that new Killers album." She followed Lucas into his room, and took a seat in his computer chair. "Did you buy it? Because if you did, I really want to burn it."

"No, I haven't, yet. I've been wantin' to, though." Lucas plopped onto his bed, and shoved his journal under his pillow. "Are you and Nathan fightin' or somethin'? You never come to visit me."

"I know," she shrugged, "but, I was just thinking about that album and then I remembered talking to you about music and stuff, so I thought maybe you had bought it."

"Oh," an awkward silence grew in the room. "So," he trailed off.

"I'm sorry if I'm making you feel weird, I can just go." She started to stand, but Lucas held up his hand to stop her.

"No, it's okay. I actually wouldn't mind the company right now." Haley was caught off-guard by his response. Lucas was never one to want company. "I know, weird, right?"

"Yeah, a little," she shrugged.

"You're pretty cool, Haley." Another statement that surprised Haley. "I just don't know why you're with my brother." There was a statement that didn't surprise her. "You could do a lot better than him."

"He's not that bad, Lucas," she sighed while shaking her head. "He's with me, and who would have thought that would ever happen? Nathan Scott dating the school nerd? That has to say something about him, right?"

"No," Lucas sat up, "what says something is that you'll actually give him the time of day. He's probably just with you to get a piece of ass, that's how he was before you." He didn't mean for his comment to be as abrasive as it was, but when it came to his brother, he usually didn't have kind words. But, Haley didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

"Not true," she lowered her head. She knew about Nathan's past, but she didn't like to hear about it.

"Come on, Haley, you mean to tell me that being with Nathan Scott isn't like a dream come true for you? Every girl in that school is in love with him. I can't believe you would be any different."

"I didn't like Nathan at all before I got to know him. Maybe you should try it. You know, I didn't come in here to get into a fight with you about your brother."

"Yeah, like he wants to get to know me. It's not gonna happen. He wrote me off a long time ago, just like Dan did. Why should I want to get to know someone who treats me like shit because I was his daddy's first son?"

"Whatever, Lucas, I guess coming in here to try and have a decent conversation and maybe become friends with you was a mistake. I think you both need to grow up and realize you're brothers and will always be. He gets shit from Dan, just like you do, Lucas."

"Whatever, Haley," Lucas mocked her, then laid back on the bed, trying to give her the hint to leave.

With a huff, Haley left his room, vowing to never make that mistake again. Lucas closed his eyes, trying to forget about what had just happened. Of all people to ruin his day, it had to be Haley, the one person he didn't expect it from. The next thing Lucas knew, his alarm clock was going off and it was time to head down to the beach. He remembered to grab everything he needed before leaving. The walk down there wasn't long enough for him, and he contemplated circling the block a couple times before checking in for duty.

"Nice to see ya, Scott," the guard chuckled. Lucas shot him a dirty look. He grabbed his stuff for the day, and ventured onto the beach.

Instead of staying in the rays of the sun that day, he headed towards the pier where he could hide in the shade beneath it. The plan worked for a while, but eventually even the shade became suffocating from the heat. He ventured out from under the pier, moving closer to the ocean, hoping to catch a few breezes. As he walked closer towards the water, he didn't notice the body lying on a towel in the sand. His feet caught theirs, and he tumbled to the ground.

"What the?" The body sat up to see what just hit her legs.

"Sorry," he mumbled, turning around to face the person, still sitting in the sand. "I wasn't watch-" He stopped mid-sentence. She was beautiful. He had never seen someone so breath-taking. A scowl was on her face, but even through the ugly expression, he could see her beauty. Chocolate brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her face. Sparkling green eyes stared through him. Her lips were full and held a perfect pout. Her skin was flawless, and her cheeks held a light pink color from the warmth of the day.

"Um, it's okay," she spoke, her voice low and raspy. "Just try to watch where you're going."

"Yeah, will do," he brushed the sand off his legs. "I haven't seen you around before, you from Tree Hill?"

"Just moved here," she smiled. Lucas just about got knocked over with her smile. Her entire face lit up, and dimples replaced her cheek.

"What's your name?"

"Brooke."

"I'm Lucas Scott," he stuck his hand out, knowing it was a weird move, but he had to touch her. He didn't believe something so beautiful was real, and needed it to be proved to him.

"Nice to meet you, Lucas Scott," she took his hand. Lucas tensed up, and almost forgot to give her hand back.It was a relief to not be repulsed by someone's touch. "What's with the pitch fork thing?"

"Um," this would be the first time he was embarrassed to admit he was a screw up. How do you tell the most beautiful girl you've ever met you're doing community service? "Just cleanin' up the beach." He didn't totally lie.

"Out of the kindness of your heart?" She giggled. "Well, Lucas Scott, that's so sweet of you."

"Well, no, not really," he blushed.

"Ohh, so you're a bad boy," she smiled, flirtatiously.

"No, not really. I just get into trouble a lot." He could have kicked himself; he wasn't making any sense at all. What was it about this girl that broke his usual confidence? He shouldn't to care enough to get all flustered.

"Right," she giggled again. This girl seemed so confident with herself, and it just added to her sexiness. "So, Lucas Scott, what is it you do here in Tree Hill for fun? I mean, besides tanning on the beach? Or, in your case, cleaning up the beach."

His cheeks flushed again. "I guess, I don't know. Drink and stuff. I usually try to find a party with free alcohol and try to crash it."

"Sounds like fun," she kinked her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I guess," he shrugged.

"You don't think so?" She leaned forward, like she was intrigued by what he was about to say.

"Yeah, it's alright. You know? To get drunk and everything. I don't really like parties too much, but I like to drink. It's fun to pretend to be someone else once in awhile." Lucas, again, wanted to kick himself. Was he really babbling to this girl? When did he ever babble?

"Yeah, something like that," Brooke giggled.

"Scott, quit flirting and get back to work!" The guard yelled at him. Lucas groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I guess duty calls," he started to stand feeling disappointed to be leaving the beautiful girl.

"Have fun, gorgeous!" She winked at him as he turned around. He laughed to himself and shook his head. This girl may be the death of him.

The rest of the day, Lucas couldn't stop thinking about Brooke. He wondered what she did for fun, what kind of people she hung out with, and most of all, if she had a boyfriend. He'd definitely like to get to know her better, which was unusual for him because he never wanted to get to know anyone new, let alone some random girl from the beach. Maybe Peyton was right; he did need to get a little action. But, he'd never wanted that before, why now? When his day ended, he ventured back to the spot he met her in, but she was gone. He was disappointed, not that he expected her to stay there all day. He did look forward to the next day, hoping she would be back again.

In the midst of thinking about Brooke, Lucas almost forgot his play date with Damien, but he didn't. After community service, he made his way to the young boy's house. The boy rushed outside, holding up his new basketball for Lucas to see. They talked about it for a moment, before Lucas decided to take him to the river court. He'd never taken Damien there before, but it was an important place for Lucas, and he wanted to share it with him.

"Wow." Was Damien's first words while walking up to the court. "This place is awesome!"

"It is," Lucas chuckled.

"Can you play basketball, Luke?"

"A little bit," he held his fingers up, putting a small space between two of them. Before Lucas became the loner he was, Dan tried to get him into basketball, and he did enjoy it, but he learned at a young age to reject anything Dan taught him.

First, Lucas had to show Damien how to dribble the ball. He was seven, and should have known already, but with a mother that barely had enough time to take care of the kid, and a non-existent father, Damien never had someone to show him. And when the boy caught on to what Lucas was showing him, Lucas couldn't have felt prouder for himself. He had Damien running around the court, dribbling the ball as he went. He watched on as the boy ran, wondering where he got his seemingly endless amount of energy. Lucas started to chase after the boy, and when he caught up to him, he grabbed him into his arms and held him over his head. He ran towards the basket, and instructed the boy to throw the ball through the hoop. The ball fell through the net, and Lucas went running, Damien still over his head, screaming at the top of his lungs. Damien was laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath. He tried to yell out in excitement with Lucas, but the laughter seemed to have over-taken him.

Lucas calmed down, and set the boy back onto the ground. His forehead was soaked with sweat, and the sunburn he'd received was burning. He took a look at the small boy who was still giggling, and noticed that his chocolate skin didn't seem to be affected at all by the sun. In fact, nothing about the sun, not even the heat, seemed to affect the boy.

"So, Damien, any new girlfriends?" Lucas asked, eyeing him.

"Ew, no, Luke! Girls are gross," Damien's face distorted with disgust. "There was this one girl in my class and she tried to kiss me and I ran away from her. I couldn't believe she tried to kiss me."

"I'm sure one day, it'll be the other way around," Lucas chuckled. "But, I guess for now, that's a good way to view things. Girls are just trouble, little man."

"Do you have a girlfriend, Luke?"

"Nah. Girls are gross," Lucas mused. "Are you doing good in school? Remember what I said about doin' good in school?"

"Yes, I remember, Luke. Geez!"

"I'm just trying to keep you on the right track. Goin' to school is very important."

"I know. And I'm doing alright."

"Alright, just alright?"

"Yes, Luke. Can't we get back to playing basketball instead of standing here and talking like a bunch of girls? It's going to be dark soon, you know."

Lucas laughed at Damien's abruptness and remark, and nodded his head. After Lucas nodded his head, Damien threw the ball towards the hoop, where it bounced off the rim and fell to the ground. It was then Lucas decided he was ready to learn how to shoot the ball. The two didn't notice as the sun started to set and it started to become darker. They were too wrapped up in the game they were playing. The sound of the over-head lights of the court coming on broke Lucas from the game. He turned towards Damien, with sadness, and told him it was time to go. Damien protested, but Lucas persuaded him by promising to bring candy the next time they met for a play-date.

"I'm sorry we're so late," an apology came from Lucas as soon as Damien's mom opened the door. "We lost track of the time playin' basketball down by the river court."

"That's okay, Lucas," she gave him a smile. Damien's mom was suspicious of Lucas, and he could tell by the way she looked at him. She knew about Lucas' troubles, as did most of the people in Tree Hill. But, she also saw the side of Lucas when he was with Damien that not many people got to see. He had a good heart, and she could tell by the way he cared for her son.

"Damien, tell Lucas bye and thank-you," she instructed.

"Bye Lucas!" Damien yelled. Lucas would have given him a hug, but Damien was old enough that he thought hugs were gross. Instead, he gave him a high-five.

"See ya later, little man," Lucas bid his farewells and went on his way.

Lucas' cell phone beeped at him, letting him know he had a message. He dialed his number to get the messages, and listened as Karen's voice came through the speaker. She wanted him to meet her at the cafe. He checked his watch to make sure it wasn't too late, and then headed in that direction. The 'closed' sign was hanging on the door, but Lucas knew he could still go in. In fact, when the cafe was closed was the best time to be there. Haley, who worked there once in a while, was helping close up as Lucas entered.

"Oh, hey," Haley's voice was less than enthused. Lucas knew it was because of the fight the two had, and couldn't help but feel a little awkward around her himself.

"Hey," Lucas muttered, making his way towards the counter. "Um, look, I, um, wanted to apologize for fightin' with you last night."

"Lucas Scott, apologize?" Haley gasped in mock surprise. "Nope, I don't believe it."

"Hey, weirder things have happened," Lucas laughed.

"Um, don't worry about it Lucas," she blew a strand of hair out of her face, "it's not a big deal."

"Thanks, Haley."

This was one of the things Lucas admired about Haley. She seemed to take everything so easily, and was so laid-back. It was almost like she just understood without having to have it explained. He didn't know her too well, but all the times he'd have tutoring sessions with her, and he'd been somewhat rude, she'd just let it slide. She would call him on it, but the next time they would meet, it was like nothing ever happened.

"There you are, Lucas," Karen smiled, as she stepped out from the back room. "I have a plate of food waiting for both of us. Just let me finish up some things so Haley can go home, and we can eat."

Lucas nodded his head and started to strum his fingers on the counter as he waited for them to finish. Dinners alone with Karen had become some what of a ritual between the two. It was one of few things Lucas actually looked forward to. It meant there would be no Dan or Nathan around, and he got to talk to his step-mom alone. Although, he didn't let on about much in his life, he did share future goals with her. Goals he knew he'd never be able to achieve, but could only dream about.

The bell above the door chimed, and shook Lucas from his daze. He turned to see Nathan walking through the door, no doubt coming to get Haley. Lucas sunk in his chair. His one night alone with Karen would be ruined if Nathan found out it happened. Nathan couldn't stand Lucas getting attention from anyone, and if he knew he was getting it from his mom, he'd be pissed.

"Hales, you almost done?" Nathan questioned, ignoring his brother's existence.

"Yeah, almost, Nathan. I just have a few things to do in the back and I'll be right out."

Dread filled Lucas. Alone with his brother? Even for only a few minutes, being alone with Nathan could be nasty. He stared straight ahead, trying to avoid him as much as possible. His day had been a good one, and he didn't want to end it by getting into a fight with Nathan. Of course, that wouldn't stop Nathan from saying anything.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan questioned. "Isn't there some crackhouse you would rather be at?"

"I'm really not in the mood, Nathan," Lucas shook his head.

The raven haired brother rolled his eyes, while the blond transfixed his on the clock in front of him. The ticking flooded his ears, and time seemed to stop while he waited for Haley to come back out and leave with Nathan. Minutes seemed liked hours, and if they were, it would have been ten hours before Haley came back out, but in actuality it was ten minutes. Haley offered a goodbye to Lucas as the couple left the cafe.

"Here we are," Karen set a plate of food in front of Lucas. "Be careful, it's hot. I had to re-heat it in the microwave because it got cold from sitting out so long. Try it. It's a new recipe I'm trying out."

Lucas grabbed his fork, and stabbed the casserole sitting in front of him. He put the food in his mouth, savoring each flavor so he could tell Karen whether or not the recipe was a good one or not. And, after he swallowed and took a drink from his soda, he gave her a smile.

"Not bad," he nodded his head. He took another bite. "It's actually really delicious," his mouth full of food as he spoke.

"Lucas, I know I taught you better manners than that," Karen chuckled. "But, thank-you. I'm glad you like it, especially since I've been selling it all day. Of course, I didn't get any complaints from anyone, so I guess that was a good sign. But, I always value your opinion."

"Didn't you try it before you served it?"

"No, I didn't have time."

A silence fell between the two. The only thing that could be heard was the banging of their forks against their plates. Every once in a while, Lucas would look up from his plate, and catch Karen's looks. She would give him a reassuring smile, and then shrug her eyebrows.

"So, Lucas, what's new with you? Any girls or anything?"

"No," Lucas laughed, "no new girls. Nothin's new, really."

"How's Peyton? I haven't seen her in a while."

Karen didn't actually like Peyton; she just tolerated her for Lucas' sake. The girl had big problems, and with Lucas the way he was, she knew the two could only bring each other down more than they were. But, because Lucas didn't have many friends, she let it go.

"Fine, I guess," Lucas shrugged. "I haven't talked to her today. I went and got Damien right after community service. And then I came here."

"How is that little guy? You should bring him around more often. That kid has such a personality."

"I know," Lucas beamed, "he's doin' good. It amazes me how unfazed he is by everything. If I was in his circumstances, I don't know what I'd do. But, he has such a positive outlook that it's almost contagious."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Lucas."

Lucas hung his head, suddenly ashamed of the person he'd become. Karen tried so hard for him, and he'd disappointed her so many times. He had no idea why she hadn't given up on him, yet.

"I was looking through old pictures the other day, and guess what I came across," a sly look crossed Karen's face.

"What?"

"Pictures of you when you used to play basketball. You looked so happy, then. I remember it was so hard for us to get you off that damn water court, or lake court, whatever you call it. You'd be out there all day from dusk till dawn."

"Yeah, that was when things were simple and when I didn't know how much of an ass Dan was." Karen gave him a stern look for cussing in front of her. "Sorry, but he is."

"I know," she sighed. "You know what I was thinking? Maybe you could join the basketball team this year."

"No way."

"Just hear me out, first, Lucas." She set down her fork and looked Lucas directly in the eyes. "The last time I remember you happy and smiling was when you played basketball. It was almost as if the moment you quit playing, that light inside of you blew out. And I love you either way, Lucas, but it kills me to see you so bottled up. Basketball used to help you release all of those other things. Like, your mom dying."

Lucas tensed in his seat when Karen mentioned his mom dying. It was usually a topic nobody brought up with him, especially people that knew him. There were the select few who were dumb and curious, but most people knew better than bring up the sensitive subject.

"I know you hate talking about her death, Lucas, but you can't just keep it all inside. It'll eat at you, it's been eating at you, I can tell."

"Can we not talk about this please?"

"Will you promise me you'll at least think about joining the basketball team?"

"Sure," he didn't mean it; he just said it to make her stop talking about it.


	5. FreakRemix For Us Freaks

**Thanks for the amazing reviews! I love them all so much. This chapter's title is Freak(Remix for Us Freaks) by Silverchair. Great band and great song. **

**Thanks to Gia for helping me so much with the story and the chapters! She really keeps me in line! **

**Also, if any of you read Our Mistakes...it should be udated very soon! The chaper is in the final stages of being finished...it's just that life sometimes gets in the way of things you love to do! Plus, this story kind of got put on the front burner for a bit...Anyway, read and enjoy! And if you feel like it...review! **

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_That smell filled the air again. It was a mixture of rotten flesh and dirty feet. And no matter how he tried to block it out, it seemed to only get worse. Lucas' hand covered his nose, but it didn't work. _ _Wherever he was, it was pitch black and he couldn't make out a thing. There were a few slats of light poking through, and he wanted to get out of the tiny space he was in. He went towards the dim light, and tried to look through what seemed to be tiny windows through small pieces of wood. It was hard to see anything, though. _From a short distance away, he could see two shadowy figures; their features weren't clear, but he could tell that one was much larger than the other.

_Everything seemed to be muted. Lucas tried to make a sound, but only his lips moved and nothing came out. He brought his hand up to his throat, wondering why he couldn't speak. The smell started to nauseate him, and he knew he had to get out of whatever space he was in. He felt around on the slatted pieces of wood, figuring it was a door. His hand came down the side and collided with a doorknob. As he turned it, it grew hot and started to burn him. He wrenched his hand away, the pain becoming too much for him. He looked towards the doorknob, and noticed it turned red, like a burning ember. The need to get out surged more within him, and he started to panic. He pounded against the slats, trying to break through. _

_His arm muscles started to feel weak a lot sooner than they should have. His arms became heavier, and soon he couldn't even lift them above his shoulders, let alone pound them against the door. His forehead was drenched with sweat, and his chest heaved with each breath. His legs started to feel like jello from standing. He willed them to stay standing, but had to give in and fall to __the floor, lying in a heap._ _, and he felt like dead weight. He managed to pull himself forward, to look through the slat again. His chest felt tight, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. There seemed to be a semi-truck resting on his chest, but as he felt it, there was nothing there. He shoved his face towards the crack, trying to see out, hoping there was someone else out there_ _ who could help him, and not just the two shadowy figures._

_What he saw though, was something he wished he could take back. The large dark figure yielded a shiny, silver knife,that glimmered next to the featureless shadow. It was positioned high above his head. In a swift movement, it plunged down, stabbing the littler figure. Crimson red blood splattered from the smaller figure, painting everything in its vicinity. Lucas' bright blue eyes faded, and grew large from the sight. He tired to call out and make them stop, but nothing would come out from his mouth. The large figure kept plunging the knife into the other figure, each time splattering more and more blood. The smaller dark figure soon became completely covered in blood, and the darkness seemed to fade with the red. Everything in the room grew to pitch black, but the red from the blood remained. The crimson liquid on the larger figure started to grow larger as the figure started to turn towards Lucas.. The knife seemed to glimmer in the dark, and when the figure was fully turned, it smiled, showing off the most shiny white teeth, and maniacal smile Lucas had ever seen.Besides the red from the blood, the only thing he could see was the bright white gleaming from the smile. His breath stopped in his chest, and he could no longer receive oxygen. The smile seemed to grow more and more, and Lucas could feel himself slipping into oblivion. _

Lucas sat up abruptly in his bed. His body was drenched with sweat, and his chest was heaving rapidly, still frightened from the nightmare he had just woken from. He furiously tried to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The bloodied images from his dream were still vividly playing in his head . He tried to shake it away, but it wouldn't leave. His room was dark; the sun still had not risen for the day. He turned over and flipped the switch on his lamp, hoping the light would help rid him of his horrible nightmare.

It wasn't the first time Lucas had a nightmare like this. Most of them went along the same way, a big figure stabbing another figure to death while he was trapped in some sort of small space. He'd never been able to figure out exactly what it meant, or why he had it. The nightmares started after he'd moved in with Dan and Karen. They used to be more frequent than they were now, and when he was little, Karen would hear him yelling out or crying in his sleep, and she would come in and comfort him. Now he was older, and he assumed he didn't yell out anymore because she quit coming in to him. He knew he was too old now, but sometimes he wished she would come in to comfort him after a nightmare.

Too afraid to close his eyes again, Lucas got up. He knew he wouldn't get anymore sleep. He pulled out his stash and stuffed some of the dried out leaves in a bowl. He went to the window, opened it, and then started puffing away on the bowl. The weed wasn't a perfect distraction from the nightmares, but it helped to calm him afterwards. After he finished off the pot, he got into the shower, and by the time he was done with the shower, the sun was fully in the sky. It was late enough now that he could leave for community service.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun was miserably hot again that day. Lucas' nightmare was still vivid in his mind, and it kept him subdued for most of the morning. It was unusual for Lucas to go all day without causing an argument with the guard, and doing something completely defiant from what was expected of him. Usually, for the whole day after the nightmare, he would be occupied with it, trying to dissect it. He absentmindedly picked up trash, working better than he had since he'd been doing the community service. If he would have taken the time to realize this, he would have taken a break so that this kind of work wasn't expected of him.

"You look awfully broody today." A sweet, but raspy voice broke through his thoughts. "Why so glum, broody?"

"Oh,h-hey," he choked, surprised.. It was Brooke, the beautiful brunette he'd met the previous day.His heart started to pound his chest at the sight of the smile spread across her face, and he found himself smiling with her. "I guess I'm just tired."

"Why don't you take a break?" She questioned, leaning forward. Her black and white bikini didn't cover very much, and showed off her tanned, supple skin. One leg stretched out in front of her, while the other was bent with her arm resting on it.

"Yeah, good idea. You mind if I sit?"

"Not at all," she patted the sand next to her.

"Is this what you do every day? Tan?"

"Every day during the summer. What else am I supposed to do here? I could stay locked up in my house, but that would just drive me crazy. So, of course, the best option for me is to come down to the beach, get a tan, and watch all the hotties show off their bodies."

"Right," Lucas chuckled. "Where are you from, Brooke?"

"I'm from Chicago, you know, the windy city. Can I tell you that coming from Chicago's winter to here on the beach is like a dream come true?"

"Are there even beaches in Chicago?"

"Well, yeah, but they're not on an ocean. Not like this at all. Plus, right now, it's still too cold to get out on the beach. Maybe it could just be getting warm enough for it, but the water would be way too cold, anyway."

Lucas picked up a hand-full of sand and slowly let each grain slide between his fingers back to the ground. He didn't know what to say next.

"So, Broody, are you going to tell me why you're walking around like a zombie, or do you expect me to believe your excuse of being tired?" Brooke raised any eyebrow while she turned to look at him. Her green eyes seemed to burn right through Lucas, and he started to feel uneasy.

"I really am tired," he turned away from her gaze, but could still feel it against the side of his head. "I woke up really early and couldn't get back to sleep."

"Right," Brooke spoke slowly, still not believing the answer, but satisfied for the moment.

"Are you gonna be out here everyday to bother me?" A smirk played on Lucas' face, as he joked with her, trying to change th subject. His nightmares were something he never told anyone about, and he felt uncomfortable having to answer questions about his feelings while he was thinking about the nightmare.

"Maybe," she shrugged. "I guess I'll decide that when I decide if you're worth my time," she smirked back.

"Is that right?" This time Lucas' eyebrow cocked in curiosity; liking that she could handle his teasing, and throw it back at him.. "And how will you know if I am worth your time?"

"That depends," she shrugged. "Usually, I don't waste my time on brooders, too much thinking for me. But, you've sparked my interest broody boy."

"It's probably just my good looks that have you attracted. Don't worry though, my personality is boring and messed up. You'll probably want to escape now before you get too attached." There was a smile on Lucas' face that reached from ear to ear as he warned the beautiful girl sitting next to him. There was no real reason to warn her, really. What he had just told her was exactly what happened every time he seemed to be getting closer to a girl. But she wasn't like the other girls, and he was amazed at how quickly she'd been able to take him out of the funk he was in before.

"Well, what about you, broody? Why are you sitting here talking to me? All I can guarantee you is a little bit of flirting, and I'll lead you on for awhile, but when things start to get serious I'll just push you away."

"That's okay. I won't let it get that far. I won't get attached. I don't get attached to anyone. And you'll never get me to the point where you'll have to push me away, he smiled, smugly. It was weird that they were talking about their future relationship, because he never talked about his future, at all. Mainly, because he only lived his life day to day, never thinking about what was to come. And even though they were talking about theirs so bleakly, it was still something that had him intrigued.

"I guess that's settled then. But, I hope you're not expecting sex from me. Because if that's all you want, you might as well leave now."

Lucas chortled. He was caught off-guard by her statement about sex. He figured she must get propositioned for sex all the time by many guys, since she looked the way she did.

"You don't have to worry about that with me," he sighed. He wasn't even sure if he meant it. Every other girl that's ever thrown themselves at him, he'd found repulsive, but she was different. He'd caught himself day dreaming about her, and fantasizing about her, and it worried him. Maybe it was because she wasn't throwing herself at him? He didn't know, but it alarmed him.

"Oh, really?" She looked intrigued. "You're a guy, broody, every guy wants sex, and most every guy wants sex from me."

"Nah," he shook his head, not wanting to go into detail about the situation. She'd probably think he was a freak. "I can't guarantee you won't be beggin' me for sex, though. I see the way you look at me," he joked, trying to take the focus off his wants.

"You caught me!" Brooke giggled, holding her hands up like she had been caught. "You know, I don't think you ever told me how you got community service."

"Considerin' we've only talked one other time before this, I doubt that I did," Lucas smiled. "And I'll probably wait till about the fifth time we talk before I go into my deep secrets and stuff. I have to keep you wantin' more, you know."

"Right, right. So, then, I guess I shouldn't tell you that I already know that you were caught at some drug house with paraphenalia on you?" Lucas eyed her, wondering how she knew; a little embarrassed, and a little surprised that even though she knew his troubles, she was still sitting there talking to him. "I read it on the internet. You'd be amazed at the stuff you can find out on that thing."

"Should I be afraid that I possibly have a stalker sittin' in front of me?" He put up his arrogant front, trying to conceal the fact he was less than sure of himself.

"I'm not a stalker, just curious." Lucas watched as she curled her lip when she talked. It was something she did all the time, and it was starting to drive him mad how sexy she was.

"Okay, now that you know about my run-in with the law, you have to tell me something bad about yourself," he was starting to feel a bit more comfortable around her. He'd never been embarassed about his troubled life before, so why should he be now? Of course, he'd never met someone as beautiful and attractive as she was.

"Oh, no, broody, I had to work to get that info, you'll have to do the same if you want to know anything about me. Besides, you don't want to ruin all of the mystery already, would you?"

"Scott! Break's over!" The guard yelled. Lucas let out a low growl, and then stuck his middle finger up in the direction of the weasly man.

"Nice," Brooke laughed. Lucas blushed a little at what he had done. For a moment he forgot he was sitting with her. "You really are the bad boy, aren't you?"

"No," he shook his head, "just messed up." Brooke started to gather her things, getting ready to leave the beach. "Can you at least tell me your last name so I can look you up on the internet?"

"That'd be way too easy," she didn't look at him as she spoke. "Same place, same time, tomorrow, broody?"

"I'll be here every day of the week for two more months." He didn't know why, but for some reason he was excited about having to come back to community service the next day. He would bet it had something to do with the brunette that was starting to stand.

"I guess that's settled, then. See ya tomorrow, Lucas Scott."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After community service, Lucas went to the river court. Mouth and Skillz, two of his better friends were there. Mouth and Skillz had been friends with Lucas since they were all little. Lucas started to grow apart from them when high school began, and he started acting out more than they could handle. Even though Lucas got a little out of control, the two teenagers still stuck around enough to still be considered his friends.

"What's up, Lucas?" Mouth greeted him. Mouth was an unusual looking person, with big lips and a pointy noise. His big lips were one of the reasons he earned the nickname 'Mouth', along with the fact that when he talked it was in rapid successions, and was usually incessant.

"Just got done with my community service," he shrugged, holding his hands out so Skillz would pass him the basketball.

"You and that community service shit," Skillz snickered, while shaking his head. Skillz was a smooth character, with attractive attributes. Everything about him seemed to move in a fluid motion, even the way the words left his mouth. "When are you going to stop messin' up, dawg?"

"As soon as you beat me at basketball," Lucas tempted, "which will probably be never."

"It's been awhile since you've been here, Lucas, we've missed seeing you around," Mouth interrupted. He wasn't one for confrontation, and would avoid it at all costs. Plus, he really did miss his friend.

"I was here yesterday. I brought Damien to teach him basketball." Lucas shot the ball through the basket.

"Where's that blonde haired, psycho-hottie you usually hang out with?" Skillz rebounded the ball.

"You mean Peyton?" Lucas laughed. Skillz and Peyton had a fling for a weekend. Somehow Lucas hooked them up accidentally, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves, but Peyton wasn't into long-term commitment and Skillz didn't mind it. Every once in a while, Skillz would try to score with her again, but she always denied him, telling him she didn't go back more than once.

"Yeah, Peyton."

"I'm not sure. I haven't talked to her today."

"So, are you here to get schooled in basketball or what?"

It had been awhile since Lucas joined his friend in a round of basketball. Mainly, because he started pulling away from all of his normal friends once he hit high school. But, he longed to have a few moments where he was completely care-free. He didn't want to have to think about his dad, or the fact that his life was so messed up. He just wanted to shoot around with the guy he once considered his best friend, while their other best friend commentated on the sidelines.

Mouth and Skillz loved their friend, but Lucas started messing up so much once high school started, both were too afraid to be around him. They didn't understand his actions, or why he was doing them. Both were concerned for him, and tried hard to reach out to him, but Lucas wouldn't open up to anyone. He just kept pushing them farther and farther away. Even now, though, they loved hanging out with him, both couldn't help the lingering thought in the back of their minds that at any minute he would pull something that would land them all in jail. It was an enigma Lucas strapped to himself, and couldn't get rid of.

As Skillz and Lucas played around on the court, Mouth sat on the sidelines with his microphone, announcing the game. After a while, Peyton showed up. She couldn't get a hold of him, and this was the only place she could think to come.

"What's up, Mouth?" She banged her shoulder into his as she sat down.

"Oh, you know, the usual," he shrugged. "Watching Skillz beat Lucas at basketball," his voice got louder with her last sentence so Lucas could hear him.

"He's not winning!" Lucas shouted, shooting the ball over Skillz's head and watching it sail through the hoop. "Maybe if he grew a few inches!"

"Ha ha!" Skillz mock laughed. "I don't need to be tall, I'm fast. Yo Peyton!" He finally noticed she was there. "What's up with you and me, cutie?"

Peyton snorted, flipping her hand casually. "What's up with you and Bevin?" Skillz's mouth dropped open. "Oh yeah, I heard all about you and that air-headed cheerleader. I can't believe you're cheatin' on me!" She fake sobbed into her hands, and then started laughing as she came up from them.

"Hey!" Skillz defended, "Bevin may be a little slow, but she's not an airhead."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure," she rolled her eyes. "I didn't know you were the cheerleader type, Skillz. I had such high hopes for you."

"Any red blooded male in America is the cheerleader type."

"I second that!" Mouth piped in. "I'm definitely the cheerleader type."

"Mouth, keep dreaming," Peyton snickered; then added, "Lucas isn't."

"Oh, I bet that he is," Skillz walked to Lucas and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Tell me, Lucas, if there was a hot ass girl standing in front of you with a cheerleading uniform on, giving you that come hither look, would you not give in to her and let her do anything she wants to you?"

Lucas pretended to think for a moment by putting a finger to his chin. Without realizing it, an image of Brooke in a Raven's cheerleader uniform popped into his head. Her brown hair in a ponytail, glitter lighting up her face, the tight blue top showing off her curves, the blue skirt short enough to show off her perfectly tanned legs. He shook his head. He'd only met the girl the day before and he was acting like a lovesick puppy. He needed to get out of his head for awhile, and unfortunately, Peyton was too busy flirting with Skillz to want to leave and get stoned.

"Yeah, definitely," Lucas grinned,tossing his thoughts aside for a moment and bobbing his head up and down.

"Oh, God, I'm surrounded by mindless teenage horndogs!" Peyton threw her hands over her face.

"You know, I have a cheerleader outfit at my house if you want to try it out," Skillz wiggled his eyebrows, trying to entice the curly blonde. She gave him a death glare, and Skillz brought his hands up, like a police officer would order you to do, and mouthed 'okay, okay'.

Skillz and Lucas finished up their game, and then Lucas and Peyton left together. They had to make a stop at their drug dealer's on the way to the bridge. After their purchase, they were sitting on the bridge; they sparked up and silently smoked through their joint.

"You know, this is kind of gettin' boring," Lucas spoke through his fogginess.Before, he felt like he needed to get high, but now, as he was doing it, he felt it was pointless. "How many times can we come up here, get high, sit and talk about nothin', and then go home to our ridiculous lives before we say we're done with it and it's time to move on?"

"What?" Peyton looked dumbfounded. "You're gettin' way too philosophical for me. Quit with all that psycho mumble jumble before I get a headache."

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**Personal Thank-you's...**

JennVanessa-Thanks so much for always reviewing! It really means a lot to me! And I'm glad that I got Brooke' character right...Thanks for that.. :)

austingirl76-I'm glad you like the bad Peyton more than the one on the show...Because I really don't like the Peyton on the show...I do like my Peyton, though. Yep, Brooke and Lucas finally met! There should be some fun interaction from them for a little while...

BrucasIsTrueLove-I'm glad you love my story! And I am also happy you liked the Brucas meeting!

Brooke Davis23-Thanks for the review! And I think you meant Karen in it, and I like how nice Karen is too...

Lilrdevil92-Thanks for thew review...Brooke should be in most of the chapters from now on...and it should be fun, so I hope you'll like it! However, she won't be the main focus of the story quite yet, since there are a lot of hings Lucas has to work on.

flipflopgal-I'm glad you liked the Brucas meeting! Thanks for the review!

lacey-Thanks for the review! I hope this chat beween Lucas and Brooke was long enough for you! There'll be more to come.

whispering nothing-Thank-you for the advice, and I am glad you liked the pacing. I had to wait to bring Brooke into the story so I could develop Lucas' character a little more, that's why the bar scene was in there. So, people could see how he acted around most girls. The haircutting scene was only in there because I mentioned him having longer hair before, and I wanted to cut it off. So, I thought it would be fun to have a drunken haircutting scene. And to think, I had him cut his hair into a mohawk before the finale!

silverfoxx01-Thanks fr the review! And, even though Lucas isn't wating for someone that means something to have sex, and I am glad you liked that about his character. It could be a mix of wanting to find the right person, but, not really. It's more that he doesn't like being intimate or close to someone. He can't stand to touch other people. But, I'm glad you liked that about him, still!

chasitybsp- Thanks for the review!

coupling-all-the-time-Thanks for the review...and I guess we'll have to see what Brooke does for Lucas...heeheehee

And a special thanks to all those who have reviewed...Brynn,Riley06, lucasluvsbrooke, missorton54, TREE HILL GAL, forevergh13, TROWED, Artemis no Himitsu, BrucasLuvr4ever, BrucasFanatic, Darkangel22192, mikki,


	6. Crashed

**Hey all of you readers! Thank-you to all of you who reviewed for the last chapter! I really appreciate the feedback! Especially since I am trying so hard to get this story right!**

**Speaking of getting this story right...Thank-you to the most awesome beta in the world, Gia! This story would probably be crap without her...And I absolutely love her for that! Speaking of which...she has a great story, well three actually, I think everyone should read! Cheeryfan is her author name! Although, I am sure most of you have read her stories...because they're awesome! Anyway, enough about that...Thank-you, Gia! (I hope I fixed the parts we talked about well enough...)**

**The title of this chapter is Crashed...which is a song by Chris Daughtry. It doesn't completely relate to this chapter, but there's a bit of foretelling in the lyrics for future parts of the story. So, enough hints about that! **

**Read and review...**

"Did you figure out my last name?" Brooke questioned from behind Lucas. He turned, startled someone was talking to him. A smile crept onto his face at the sight of her. She was wearing a different bikini today; this one was pink and white, and all of the time she'd been spending in the sun was starting to look good on her.

"It's not that easy, you know," Lucas chuckled.

"Time for a break yet?" She motioned towards the sand, where she had just laid down her beach towel.

"Yeah, I 'spose it is," he nodded, and sat down next to the spot she had just taken. "It's so fuckin' hot out here," he complained, wiping his forehead.

"Nice language, Broody," Brooke chuckled.

"Oh, sorry," he blushed, "I didn't know it bothered you."

"It doesn't, I just like to see you blush," she smiled, while giving him a wink. Lucas stared at her face, trying to read her expressions. She was confusing for him, and he didn't like it. Most girls were so easy to read, but she proved to be a complete mystery. Although, he thought, he'd never actually tried figuring out a particular girl before, and most girls just wanted to sleep with him.

"You're so funny," he laughed, sarcastically. "So, you're not going to give me any kind of hint about you?"

"Well, how about I tell you that my last name starts with a 'D'."

"You know, if any other girl were to do this, I would just tell them off and be on my way."

"What's so special about me then, Broody?" She pondered, sitting forward, seeming interested.

"I haven't figured that out yet," he sighed. "I'll tell you once I've done some research on you," he smirked, flirtatiously. Flirting wasn't something he usually did, unless he was just leading the girl on for a game, so he was surprised with himself that he was doing it with Brooke. He couldn't honestly be so attracted to her that he was forgetting every rule he's ever set for himself, could he?

"You're such a charmer," she laughed. "So, is this the part where I tell you my last name, and you remember me from some past life and tell me you love me?"

"That depends," he placed his finger under his chin, pretending like he is actually thinking about it.

"On what?"

"On what your last name is," he chortled, and Brooke laughed too, while pushing him in the arm.

Lucas was caught off-guard by her physical contact, and he expected to get a chill or feel disgusted, but there wasn't that sort of reaction. There weren't any bad feelings creeping into his stomach, and he just continued to laugh.

"So, Lucas Scott, besides all of the drugs you like to do, tell me something interesting about yourself," Brooke winked and then pushed some sunglasses over her eyes.. Lucas didn't like that she covered her eyes, because now it would be harder to read her expressions..

He slightly blushed at her comment about drugs, a little offended and embarassed, but then responded, "you're makin' me work for information about you, and you want me to just offer information to you without any kind of fee?"

"That is how it works," her face grew into a smile.

He didn't know why he felt the urge to tell her something about himself. Maybe he wanted to offer information about himself so she would give up something about herself as well.

"I like to play basketball, I guess," he shrugged. It didn't seem like much information to an outsider, but to him that was a big part of himself. Besides all of the other stuff he did, he'd always been able to fall back on basketball, like it was some kind of support that no matter what, would always be there.

"You like to play basketball," she asked, incredulously, raising her sunglasses above her eyes to look at him. "Hmph," she let her sunglasses fall back onto her face, "didn't really see that one coming."

"Why not?" He questioned, leaning forward to show how interested he was in her explanation.

"Don't know," she shrugged. "I guess basketball doesn't really fit into my idea of bad-boy stoner. I was a cheerleader at my old school, and none of the basketball players were stoners."

"So, you're stereo-typing me?" He squinted his eyes, like he was trying to read through her thoughts.

"N-no, I mean, I don't think I was. I dunno, maybe," she stuttered.

"See, now, this is why I don't like people like you," he spoke, without realizing what was coming out of his mouth.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean 'people like me'? You don't know anything about me," her voice was low and angered.

"I mean, people who are quick to judge other people that aren't as popular or as well off as them," he spat out, not trying to control the anger building within him. Sure, this girl was intriguing and all, but he didn't tolerate being placed into a certain 'role'.

She just sat there, her mouth agape. Her sunglasses were over her eyes, and Lucas would have given anything to lift them and see the expression in them. The longer she sat there, the guiltier he felt about snapping on her. It just made him mad that she was so quick to judge him about being a stoner and playing basketball.

"Look, I'm sorry for snappin," his voice was calmer, and more controlled, "I didn't mean to be rude and judge you the same way. It's just that Tree Hill High is very cliquey and judgmental, and me and my friend are pigeonholed into this certain stereotype, and it kind of sucks." He wanted to add something about his brother along with what he was saying, but felt that it was too soon to delve that far into his problems.

"I understand," her voice was soft, just above a whisper. "I came from the same kind of place. I-I know how it feels to be stereotyped," she stuttered. "And I'm sorry for judging you the way I did, I didn't mean anything by it."

Lucas got the feeling Brooke had not admitted this to many people, even though it was such a small bit of information.. He didn't know why he got that feeling, but it was something about the way her voice cracked as she said it, and the way he knew she was averting her eyes from him underneath the sunglasses. It only intrigued him more, and he wanted nothing more than to get to know Brooke D. even more.

An awkward silence grew between the two. Lucas wasn't sure about Brooke, but he didn't know how to break it, or come out of the seemingly deep conversation/argument the two had just had. He wanted to turn it back into the fun flirtation they'd been having the past couple of days, but didn't know if she'd be up to it. Not wanting to feel the awkwardness anymore, he stood, and brushed his shorts off. He was doing it slowly, so she could have time to say something, but she never did, so he just walked away, not sure if he'd ever see her again, which was disappointing to him, but he figured he'd get over it in time.

After community service, Peyton picked him up in her mom's car again. He was in a worse mood than usual, and it annoyed Peyton. After smoking a joint together, she left him by himself at the bridge, pissed off. He didn't care though; he wanted to be alone, actually. He brooded on top of the bridge for awhile, his thoughts not leaving the argument he'd had with Brooke. It wasn't just that he was pissed off about the argument; it was that he was so bothered by it. Peyton, who was his best friend, didn't even get to him this much, why was he letting some girl he didn't even know dictate his whole mood?

The only person who got to him this much was Dan, and the fact that Brooke could be placed in the same category as Dan really scared him. Dan may have been an ass, but he was still Lucas' father, and for that he would always have some kind of attachment to him. But, Brooke was just some stranger, someone he'd only met a couple days ago. How could he feel any kind of attachment towards her?

He pushed himself up from the bridge, sick of dwelling over the brunette, and after his high had worn off. It was getting dark out, and he was sure his father had something to bitch at him about when he got home, and he just wanted to get it over with. He walked slowly towards his house, gazing around at houses as he did so. He walked through the 'bad' part of Tree Hill, which wasn't actually all that bad. It was just that the houses weren't as big or as flashy as the 'good' part of Tree Hill. He noticed that the families seemed to be a bit happier, though.

As he neared the more expensive houses, he noticed a certain brunette. He had to squint to make sure it was her, because her hair was done differently from what he was used to. She had an evening gown on and her hair was done up on top of her head, as if she was going to the prom.She was gorgeous, and it took all that Lucas had not blatantly stare at her, and even with giving it everything he had, it wasn't working. She didn't look too pleased to be going to where she was, as she headed down the drive towards the limo. An older couple came out after her, and held huge smiles on their faces. They called something to Brooke, and she turned around. She said something back, and then turned around, a more dismal look on her face. She looked so different from the Brooke he'd been seeing on the beach every day. More like the one he'd seen today after their little fight. As she neared the limo, the driver opened the door for her, and as she was about to get in, she looked up and caught eyes with Lucas. He half expected her to smile at him, but she didn't, which is what the other half of him expected. She turned away and got into the limo, without even acknowledging him. Her parents followed behind her, and by the time Lucas past their house, the limo had driven off.

When the limo was out of sight, Lucas doubled around, to see if he could find their last name on the mailbox or something. And, much to his delight, the name 'Davis' was in black stickers across the front of the mailbox. Davises were kind of well known in Tree Hill for their wealth, and he figured that's why Brooke didn't offer out her last name so quickly. He quickened his pace back home, interested in doing a search about her on the internet.

When he got home, it was Karen who was waiting for him, and not Dan. She greeted him with a warm welcome, and then sat him down to eat dinner. It must have just occurred to her that he didn't eat dinner too often, or, for that matter, he didn't eat too much at all. Sure, there were the dinners he had with her at the cafe, but those were only once a week and he was left to fend for himself the rest of the time. It wasn't until she started to speak that he figured out there was a different motive for her forcing him to eat dinner, not that he minded.

"I want you to help out some nights at the cafe," she spoke, point blank.

"What?" He asked; his mouth full of food.

"I'm kind of short staffed right now, and I thought maybe you could use the extra money. Plus, it would help keep you off the streets."

"Karen," he sighed, "you don't need to try and 'keep me off the streets'," he mocked her.

"You don't need to mock me," she scolded. "I think this will be good for you. And I talked to Haley about it, and she agrees that she would like working with you. So, what do you think?"

"I dunno,"

"Lucas, I could really use the help. Haley can't handle it at night anymore by herself, and I have some things going on that take me out of the cafe a couple nights a week."

He didn't want to do it, but he felt obligated because it was Karen. One of the only people to ever take an interest in him, or cared for him. After much thought, he finally nodded his head, and Karen thanked him.

"I'll get you a schedule tomorrow," she said.

"What are you doing that keeps you from the cafe?"

"Trying to start up some other business options," she shrugged. "I think you'll like what I'm planning, but I'm not going to tell you until it's finalized, because I don't want to get your hopes up."

"Ohh, is it a fully naked strip joint?" He joked, raising his eyebrows in anticipation.

"Lucas," she said sternly.

"Kiddin', kiddin'," he shook his head, turning his eyes away from her gaze. He thought maybe he'd taken it too far. "Where are my lovely brother and father?" He asked, sarcastically.

"I expect you would say something like that about your father, but Nathan is your brother," she eyed him.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"I don't know why you two can't get along. You have a lot more in common than you would think, you know. He loves basketball, you like basketball. You share the same father."

"Unfortunately," he said, under his breath.

"Lucas, I don't expect you two to be best friends, but I would think you could get along well enough to be in the same room for more than five minutes. Even Dan and Keith can do that."

"Well, Keith is a much better man than I am," he smirked, gaining him a frown from Karen.

The next morning, there was no sign of Brooke on the beach, not that Lucas expected her to be there. He wasn't even sure why he was hoping she would be there. Except maybe to boast about figuring out her last name, and doing some research on the internet about her. What he had found was something he didn't exactly expect. Brooke had been in the newspaper a few times for getting really good grades, and winning some kind of award for academics. Not that he expected Brooke to be dumb, or anything, he'd just never known someone so beautiful, flirty, and fun to be such a brain. But, then again, stereotyping was one of the reasons why she wasn't there that day, and that kind of judgment would be hypocritical of him.

Community service went back to the way it was before Brooke Davis tripped him up on the beach. The past couple of days, he at least could look forward to maybe seeing her there, but now there was nothing but the sun scorching him, and the mundane duty of picking up trash. He went the whole day without causing any ruckus, and then headed to Karen's cafe, where she wanted him to meet her. He made sure to smoke a joint before arriving there, since working as a waiter was sure to bore him out of his mind, and he would need something to escape the mind-numbing job.

He smoked weed so much, he was sure no one would be able to tell the difference between him being high or not. At least he hoped, because he couldn't remember a time he'd ever been high in front of Karen. The bells dinged over the door when he entered, and Karen and Haley were both at the counter, talking animatedly about something. It was mostly Haley that was animated; Karen was more looking at her, intrigued.

"Lucas," Karen smiled, turning her gaze away from Haley.

"Hey, Lucas," Haley greeted him. "Karen tells me you're going to be working here for a bit."

"Yep," he nodded. He knew his eyes were blood shot, and he had to try hard to suppress a laugh that was threatening to burst forth for no real reason. He'd been high so much; he thought he learned how to control that.

"You alright, Lucas?" Haley looked at him, skeptically.

"Yeah, I'm good," he spoke in a mellow tone. The urge to laugh had subsided, and he sat down on a barstool.

"Has Karen told you what she's planning on doing and why she can't be at the cafe so much?"

"Nope," Lucas shook his head, and once again had to stifle a laugh. This time he wasn't able to hold it back, and started to laugh. If Haley's eyes weren't so big, and Karen's hands weren't so tiny, he wouldn't have anything to laugh at.

"What's so funny?" Karen asked, growing suspicious as well.

"Nothin'," Lucas put his hand in front of his mouth, trying to hold in the laughter. "Um," he chortled, "so, um, are you going to be training me?" He made the mistake of looking at Haley again, and burst out laughing again.

"Lucas, what's wrong with you?" Haley put a hand on her hip.

"Are you high, Lucas?" Karen lowered her voice to just above a whisper.

"What?" Lucas tried to sober up with her words. He should have known Karen would see right through his act. "No, I'm not high," he lied. "Why would I come here to help you high?"

"You're acting funny, Lucas," Haley tried to look closer into his eyes. "You never laugh, and now you're laughing uncontrollably?"

"It's just that I never noticed how big your eyes are," he burst out laughing again, and Haley stood back, dejectedly. Lucas noticed the subdued look in her eyes, and controlled his laughing a little. "Not in a bad way, Haley," the laughing once again took over him. He was going to kill Peyton; this wasn't normal weed. He never got giggly off weed. No, this had to be laced with something.

"You need to go home," Karen took an acerbic tone. "This is unforgivable, Lucas," she shook her head. "Go straight home, and I'll be there in a little bit for your punishment. If you're not there when I get home, it'll be worse."

He started laughing again, and nodded his head as he headed for the door. So much for having to participate in another boring job that day. The only bad part was, he was sure Karen would tell Dan, and then he would have to deal with the shouting, and maybe even fighting, and that was never fun. He didn't want to go home, yet, but he thought maybe if he did exactly as Karen said, she might not tell Dan, and he wouldn't have to deal with that.

He went straight to his bedroom when he got home, and put some headphones on and turned up his music full blast. Then, he lied on his bed, with his eyes closed, waiting for the high to pass. After it wore off, he took off his headphones and called Peyton.

"What?" She blurted into the phone.

"What kind of shit did you give to me?" He asked, annoyed.

"What?" She played dumb.

"You know what. That wasn't just weed. I couldn't fuckin' control my laughing and I don't get like that on weed. What the fuck was it?"

"It was weed," she said slowly.

"Whatever, Peyton. That was pretty fucked up." He pushed the end button on his cell phone and tossed it back onto his nightstand. He should have known to buy the weed himself, instead of trusting Peyton to do it.

There was a soft knock at his door and Lucas yelled for whomever to enter. Karen entered the room, slowly, and Lucas' heart sank. He was such an ass showing up for work high, especially work for Karen. She had a disappointed look on her face, and it only made Lucas feel worse.

"Karen, I'm sorry," he began.

"Lucas," she put her hand up to stop him. "I've heard enough sorry's from you. Things have to change."

He took her words like a slap in the face. She'd never been so blunt with him, always caring and understanding. "What needs to change? My lifestyle?" He asked, incredulously.

"Yes," she nodded. "I've set it up so that you'll be working with your uncle Keith three days a week, and helping me at the cafe the rest of the week."

"I already have community service every day; don't I get any time for myself?"

"You have proven that you don't choose your time wisely. Lucas, you need to do this. I'm not doing it as a punishment; I'm doing it so you'll be safe."

"Safe," he mock laughed. "If you wanted me to be safe, you'd kick Dan out."

"Don't start blaming your father, Lucas," she shook her head. "You're old enough now to make your own choices, and it seems to me you don't make the right ones. Now, either you do this, or you're confined to your bedroom for the rest of the summer."

Lucas' mouth hung open. Was she really giving him an ultimatum? This wasn't the Karen he was used to. He contemplated defying her, and objecting to both, but he was so shocked he couldn't do it. After he didn't answer for a few minutes, she turned and walked out of his bedroom. He stood up and punched the wall. Pain radiated from his knuckles, but it wasn't enough. He went to his bathroom and found his razor blade, needing to release the frustration he felt with Karen. She wasn't supposed to be the mean one; she was supposed to be the tender, loving one. And now she was giving him a miserable punishmen, just like something Dan would do. He sighed and thought, _It's going to be a deeper cut for me tonight_.


	7. Cut

**Another chapter! WOOHOO! A BIG thanks to Gia for helping me out so much with this chapter! You're great, Gia! This chapter might seem kind of out there, but Lucas needed to rebel a bit from Karen's punishment…so, this is what we get. Plus, Brucas is always great, right?! After this, we might not see too much of them for awhile. ******** But, you'll understand more with the end. **

**The chapter title comes from a song by Plumb called Cut, obviously. That song explains Lucas so well, it's kind of scary! **

**Enjoy! …..Personal thank-yous at the end. ******

Lucas climbed out of his bedroom window, blood seeping through the sleeve on his shirt where he had a fresh cut. He'd waited until he knew both Karen and Dan were in bed before sneaking out of his window. The night air was cool, and the long sleeved t-shirt he wore did little to shield him from the cold. Shivering against the wind, he wrapped his arms around his chest, and set out, not knowing exactly where he was going to go. It was late enough that cars were scarce, as well as people. He could sneak off, without anyone ever seeing him leave.

It pissed him off that Karen had been so harsh with her punishment. With her new activities planned for him, he'd have no chance at a life of his own. During the day it was community service, and then at night it was either working for Karen or for Keith. And since when did his uncle Keith want to have anything to do with him? From what Lucas knew, Keith didn't get along with Dan, so that meant Dan's sons were also written off. And when did Karen become so close with Keith? The more he thought about it, the more enraged he became.

It was by habit that Lucas found himself in front of Peyton's house. The light in her bedroom was still on, which wasn't as surprising as the fact that she was home. He headed up the front walkway to her house, not caring that it was such a late hour. After he turned the doorknob to find that it was locked, he started knocking on the door. The porch light flicked on, and a very perturbed Mrs. Sawyer answered a short while later, dressed in a short silk robe. She pulled the robe tighter around her, and eyed Lucas scornfully.

"Do you realize what time it is, young man?" She questioned.

"Is Peyton here?" He ignored her comment.

"Yes, she is, but it is far too late of an hour for you to be here or for her to go anywhere. I suggest you go home; I'm sure your parents wouldn't like you out so late."

"I'm sure my parents wouldn't give a fuck." Mrs. Sawyer's eyes grew wide, making her look much like she'd just been smacked. Lucas held back a chuckle. "We both know you don't give a fuck either. Now, just go get Peyton, so I can get out of here."

"Mr. Scott, I really don't think your parents raised you to use such language. Now, get off my property or I will call the cops to remove you." She slammed the door closed and the porch light went out.

Lucas chortled, and then turned around. It wasn't like he really cared if Peyton was with him or not, but it was fun pissing off her mom. It did kind of suck that he was out of weed, and Peyton usually had some. Even though he was still pissed off about the weed she'd given him, it didn't mean he couldn't smoke with her still.

The sound of his feet hitting the pavement, along with the wind whistling through the trees were the only sounds that could be heard. Occasionally, a car would drive past, not even noticing the blond teen walking aimlessly through the abandoned streets. There were a couple times when Lucas spotted a cop car, and would have to dive into some bushes so he wouldn't be noticed. He didn't want to chance being seen by a cop who knew him. Other than that, he was bored out of his mind, and kind of wishing he'd just gone to bed instead of sneaking out.

Sure, he could go to the bar, but all that would lead to is some bimbo hitting on him and him with a killer hangover. Plus, at the end of the night, he would have to find a place to sleep off the alcohol, and he really didn't feel like going back home, especially not drunk. Or, he could go to the drug house. That was a horrible idea, though. The last time he was there, he got arrested, plus, he didn't like anybody that was there. And, he was broke.

It didn't take long for him to end up in front of Brooke's house. He didn't end up there by accident, but he wouldn't admit that to himself. He wasn't even sure why he was there; it wasn't like he would see her, just the outside of her house. Yet, there he stood, on the sidewalk across from her house, staring. He mentally slapped himself for acting like a stalker.

There weren't any lights on, except for one in an upstairs bedroom. He wondered if that was Brooke's room, and if it was, what she was doing. A few dirty thoughts crept through his imagination, but he scolded himself and pushed them away. Then, he pictured himself scaling the wall, tapping on the window, and her answering it, wearing barely anything.

"_Idiot_," he breathed out. Then he thought, _"This isn't some fuckin' fairy tale, she probably hates you." _

He sat down on the curb, actually contemplating climbing up to the window, and seeing if she'd join him. It was a dumb idea, and he knew it, but it could actually be worth it, especially if she didn't wear anything to bed. He scolded himself again for thinking that way. He needed some weed, and bad. That would at least give him the courage to do something so stupid. Instead, he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one up. A shadow flashed across the lit up window, and Lucas' heart began to pound. It wasn't enough to show that it was Brooke, but at least it meant somebody was up and moving around in there. He tossed the idea of going up there around in his head again, before deciding he needed to quit being such a coward, and just do it.

After he made up his mind, the possibilities of him actually making it to the second story started to become limited. There were only a few places to climb, and even those didn't seem too promising. _If only I carried a ladder around with me,_ he thought. He laughed at how absurd his thought was. He flicked his cigarette to the ground, and stubbed it out with his toe. He stood, and brushed his pants off, still trying to decide the best way to get to that room. He took a couple steps forward, and then backed out of the plan, and sat back down on the curb. He'd be an idiot if he actually climbed up there. There was no way of even knowing if that was really her window or not, and what if it turned out to be her parents, who were naked, and doing stuff he probably didn't want to see. Nope, he was staying planted to the ground.

Then, he started to think about what would happen if it were her room, and she magically got over their little fight, and agreed to come with him. It could possibly be an interesting night, and maybe even next day. He'd be able to get to know her, plus, cause a little havoc without getting caught. But, he barely knew her, and after the fight they had, she probably didn't want anything to do with him ever again, and he didn't really blame her. What if she freaked out because he showed up at her window, and called the cops? Or worse yet, punched him, and he fell to the ground?

"Just fuckin' do it, Lucas," he hissed to himself. "You'll always regret it if you don't." He didn't know when he'd taken up talking to himself so much, but he was sure he didn't like it.

With a big sigh, he stood once again. This time he didn't stop himself as he ambulated across the street, to her yard. He found the spot most suitable for climbing, and grabbed hold of a spot just above his head, and pulled himself up. The lattice was kind of a cliché, but it was the best he could find. It didn't take long for him to ascend the lattice, and climb onto the second rooftop. He crept lightly towards the lighted window, and tapped softly. He could see the shadow through the sheers, and watched as the body stiffened with the noise. _This was definitely going to be the end of his life_, he thought. He tapped again when the body just stayed frozen in the same position. The poor girl, or guy, he didn't know, must have been scared out of his or her mind. He was crouched below the window, so he was sure whoever was in there couldn't see him like he could see them.

With another tap, the figure rose, and went out of view. Just as he was about to tap again, the window flew open, and he was hit across the head with a hard, and sharp, object. He fell back onto the shingles, and groaned while grabbing his head. He knew this was a bad idea, and would only lead to him getting hurt.

"Fuck," he cursed, still holding the throbbing part of his head. There was already a significant knot growing. "Shit, shit shit," he hissed.

"Lucas?" A leery voice spoke. "Lucas! What the fuck! You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry," he hissed, still in pain. "I'm sorry. I'm a fuckin' idiot. I knew I shouldn't have come up here."

"Why did you?"

"I told you I'm an idiot! What the hell did you hit me with?" He finally sat up to look at her, still holding his knot. She was even more beautiful in the moonlight than he could have imagined. There was a soft glow around her brunette hair, and her eyes twinkled in the soft lighting. Unfortunately, the throbbing pain he felt wouldn't allow for him to look past her face to see if maybe she was half naked. He thought maybe that was a good thing.

She held up a stiletto. "It was the sharpest one I could find," she shrugged, and giggled.

"No wonder why it feels like I have a hole in my head."

"You shouldn't have come here, Lucas."

"I figured you didn't want to see me, but I was bored and I didn't see you down at the beach. So, what better way to call a truce by getting stabbed in the temple by a stiletto?"

"You're not dead," she laughed. "Come inside before my parents hear us, and I'll take a look at that stab wound. Kudos on being able to climb to the second story, by the way, but next time just knock, my parents won't answer the door, and the maids don't tell on me when I have late visitors."

Lucas heaved himself up, and climbed into Brooke's window. Her bedroom was almost exactly how he would have pictured it. The pink comforter, a mirror, a vanity set, the only thing missing were all of the picture collages he thought would have been scattered all over her walls.

"What are you doing up so late?" It was a stupid question, but he needed to say something to break the tension.

"I think I should be the one asking questions, not the other way around," she laughed, going through a door. A few moments later she returned with a washcloth. "You have a little bit of a cut."

"Thanks," he took the washcloth from her, and put it in the spot he felt the pain radiating from.

"What made you climb through my window at one in the morning?"

"I was bored," he shrugged.

"So, you thought _I know, I'll scare the shit out of Brooke and climb to her window._"

"It sounded so much better when I was thinkin' about it before," he laughed. "I just thought maybe you'd like to come out with me."

"You didn't think I would be in bed? And how did you know this was my window?" Her voice wasn't harsh. It sounded more like she was curious.

"I didn't actually know, or think about it. I just did it." Well, okay, he did think about it, but she didn't need to know that. "I just needed to get out of my house, and I was bored as hell walkin' around by myself, and my friend, Peyton, well, her mom told me to get off her property before she called the cops." There he went with the blabbering again. He really needed to get that in check.

"I'm just going to pretend like we actually know each other more than the few fifteen minute conversations we've had on the beach, and ask you, have you lost your mind? Or are you just stalking me?" Lucas blushed, and started to feel like he was only an inch tall with the way she was glaring at him.

"I'm not stalkin' you," he protested. All of his emotions seemed to be wavering, but his speech still was in tact. At least he had that. "Why did you pretend like you didn't know me when you saw me walkin' by?"

Brooke seemed caught off-guard by the question. She stared blankly at him, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I just-I don't-" she stammered. "I don't know why. We had that stupid little fight, and I guess I felt a bit ashamed."

"Come with me," his confidence returned to him, as he fixed his gaze on her.

"Where?" she countered, her demeanor softening under his stare.

"It doesn't matter; just come with me." He insisted again, never removing his blue eyes from her hazel eyes.

"Lucas, I really don't know you all that well, and for that matter, you could be some serial killer. It's already obvious you're stalking me." A tiny smile crept onto her lips, as she cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not stalkin' you," Lucas shook his head. "Now, come on," he placed his eyes back on hers.

"Why?"

"You need to do this. I need you to do this," his voice was low, and serious. He wasn't sure why he needed to do this. Maybe to prove something. Maybe because he would have liked more than one good friend. Maybe because he had found himself lately thinking about Brooke more than he should have, and he needed to know why.

Brooke sat in thought for a moment, not taking her eyes from his, and then shrugged. "Let me change first," her words sounded less carefree than her actions previous to them had been. Lucas let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Why was he so relieved she was willing to go?

"You don't need to change, just come on," he shook his head, more to rid himself of his thoughts than to insist on her not changing.

"I can't wear this. I look like shit."

"Who cares? Nobody is gonna see you except for me." Lucas actually thought she looked kind of cute in her pink sweatpants and white wife beater. "Come on," he stuck his hand out for her, forgetting about his phobia of physical contact.. With a huff, she put her hand in his, and he, for once, didn't cringe when another human being touched him.

Lucas climbed down the lattice first, to show Brooke what to do, and just in case she slipped and started to fall he would be able to catch her. She had insisted on using the front door, but he told her it was just more fun to do it this way. She griped about being a girl, but he persuaded her to climb down the side of her house.

They walked in silence for a while; Lucas wasn't even sure where he was taking her, but he knew it had to be somewhere great after the way he'd been pushing her to come. He knew he should have planned it out better before he climbed up to her window. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one up.

"Ew, you smoke?" Brooke cringed. "That's a disgusting habit."

"So is cutting," he mumbled. He wasn't sure if Brooke had heard him, but if she had she didn't say anything.

The silence fell over them again, as Lucas mulled over where he could possibly take her. He could take her to the bridge, but that was kind of boring, especially when you didn't have any mind-altering substances. The river court probably wouldn't be fun for her, and it was a bit on the personal side for Lucas, so that was out. Then, it dawned on him where they could go.

His face must have lit up when he thought of it, because Brooke gave him a questioning glance. He just shrugged it off, and let the devious smile take over his face. She might not like it at first, but it would definitely be a new experience in a place she probably loved a lot.

"Okay, psycho hottie, where the hell are we going?"

"You'll find out," he gave her a mischievous smile.

"I really am starting to believe you're going to kill me. You'll probably rape me first, and then kill me, though. I don't even know why I came with you; I must be a stupid girl with a death wish. I don't even know you."

"Brooke," Lucas stopped, and she followed suit. "I'm not gonna to kill you. I'm not a serial murderer, and I'm not a stalker. Okay?" He stared at her.

"Okay," she sighed. "Just so you know, I left a note on my desk, so if I don't turn up for the next week or something, they'll know who I was with and come looking for you."

Lucas rolled his eyes and laughed. He was being kind of mysterious, and that probably scared the day lights out of her, but he was determined to have a fun night, and he wanted to enjoy it with Brooke. He wasn't sure why he wanted to spend time with her, but he did, and he was complacent with that decision.

"The mall?" Brooke gaped when they started to approach it. "What the hell? It's closed for one, and for two, I've been to the mall a million times."

"I figured you had," he smirked, "but, I also figured you'd probably never broke into the mall."

"What?" She shrieked. "I'm sorry," she stopped and turned around, "but, I am not engaging in a little B and E tonight. No. You may like getting into trouble with the law, but that's just not me," she was walking away quickly. So fast, Lucas struggled to keep up with her and to hear what she was saying.

"Hey," he stopped her by grabbing her arm, once again forgetting about his fear of physical contact "hey, it's okay. We're not gonna to get caught. Plus, it's a lot more fun to be in the mall when it's closed."

"No, it's not okay to break into the mall, Lucas." She huffed, pulling her arm from his grasp. "You can't just break into some place because it's fun."

"Just trust me," he pleaded through his eyes. "We won't get caught, and it'll be lots of fun. I promise."

She stared him in the eyes. Lucas' blue eyes twinkled with anticipation, and mischief. She huffed, and crossed her arms across her chest. "Fine, whatever, but if we get caught I'm totally telling the cops you kidnapped me, and forced me in there."

"Okay," he laughed.

Lucas led her towards a door, where he pulled out a skinny object and started to pick the lock. Brooke was nervously glancing around to make sure no one was watching, and it made Lucas laugh. He'd done this many times before. Of course, he'd never done it with someone else. Finally, the lock clicked and the door opened. Lucas smiled evilly, and led Brooke inside.

"Wait," she stopped him, pulling back on his arm. He flinched with her contact. "What if there's security cameras or something?"

"There's no security cameras on this door," he assured her. "Come on, I promise we're not going to get caught."

Brooke smiled meekly. He smiled back, and led her in, closing the door behind them. He wasn't exactly sure where to go. He figured that once they were inside, she'd go crazy and want to visit every shop she loved, but she was still being timid. So, he led her towards his favorite store.

"How are we going to get in there?" She questioned. "There's a gate blocking the entry."

"Just watch," he released her hand from his grip. He went to the gate, and started picking at the lock again, which soon released and he slid the gate open.

"It's kind of scary how good you are at that," Brooke smirked.

"Yeah, well, I have a shady past."

Brooke giggled, and wandered away from him. Lucas went up to where the headphones were, and put them on, listening to the music that was playing. It wasn't his favorite kind of music, but it would suffice. From down the aisle from him, he could see Brooke bopping up and down, dancing to something. He pulled the headphones from his ears to find that she was singing along to whatever song she was listening to at the top of her lungs.

"Nice," he laughed.

Brooke finally opened her eyes to see Lucas staring at her. Her cheeks flared red, while she pulled the earphones from her ears and set them back, "what are you looking at?"

"That was cute," he smiled, "care to show me again?"

"No," she frowned, turning around. "I'm bored."

"Already?"

She turned back around with her hands on her hips, "Yes, already. You said you wanted to show me fun, so show me it!" Lucas noticed the way her lip curled as she smirked. She was going to drive him to insanity.

"What's your favorite store?"

"The clothes ones, of course."

Lucas cringed, but replied, "Let's go, then. I'm sure trying on the most expensive shit would be tons of fun," he spoke with sarcasm.

"Oh, yes, expensive shit is fun, but what I have in mind is going to be a lot more fun."

Lucas tried to ask her what she meant, but she didn't reply. She just took his hand, and led him towards her favorite store. Lucas picked the lock and the gate slid open. She grabbed his hand again and started going through the racks like it was nothing. Every once in awhile she would fling a piece of clothing at him, which he would have to hold until she was done. After his arms were full, she led him towards the back where there was a set of mirrors.

"Now, start getting undressed," she instructed.

"What?" Lucas gaped.

"You heard me. Take your clothes off, sexy. You're going to try on some clothes," she winked.

"Oh, no, I don't think so. I'm not puttin' on woman's clothes."

"Why not?" She pouted.

"I'm not a woman."

"Do it, for me?" She started to give him sad, puppy dog eyes, and he started to fall for it.

"No, I don't think so. You can't turn on the charm with me. I know all about the charm, don't think you're getting away with it." She puffed her bottom lip out farther, and Lucas inwardly started to curse himself. What was it about this girl that made him lose all of his self-control? No other girl had been able to get through to him like this. "Fine, one thing. That's it. And you better not have a camera."

"Yay!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands. "And I do have a camera. Since you bribed me into breaking and entering, I get to at least take pictures of you in some girl's clothes."

Lucas grumbled, and started to take his shirt off. It wasn't until then that he remembered why he shouldn't be undressing in front of her, and by the time he realized it, it was too late. She grabbed his arm, and pulled it towards her, her mouth hanging open. Lucas snapped it back, pulling his shirt back over his head. He really didn't want to get into that right now.

"What is all that, Lucas?" She held her hand over her mouth.

"It's nothin'," he shook it off. "Nothin'." He laughed nervously, and turned around. "So, what now? Are you hungry?" She was the first person to ever notice his cuts, besides Peyton, who encouraged him to do it.

"Lucas, that's not nothing," she grabbed his arm again. This time she saw the spot on his shirt where the blood had seeped through earlier. "You did this tonight?"

"Who says I did it?" He snatched his arm back, again. "This isn't fuckin' Oprah, you know. I don't need counseling or any shit like that. So just back the fuck off."

Brooke took a step back, obviously put off by his harshness. "I'm not trying to counsel you, Lucas," she spoke, harshly. "Excuse me for finding something like that a bit fucked up."

"Yeah, because in your perfect little world, something like this is just unheard of."

"I don't live in a perfect world," she snapped. "I just don't mutilate my body because of it."

Lucas glared at her. That was a good one, and he wasn't sure how to come back after that.

"Didn't you just fucking scold me for judging you, and now you're judging me? Fuck off, Lucas. I have no idea why I came here with you. You mean nothing to me."

"And you mean nothing to me!"

Brooke huffed, threw her hands on the air, and stormed off. Lucas, not one to back down, did the same only in the opposite direction. He was sure she was going to leave, but he was hungry. So, he made his way to the food court, where he could scrounge up something to eat. There wasn't much, but he managed to find a pretzel, and also to get a pop. He sat down at a table, where he started to eat.

The fight with Brooke still had him irritated. He really needed some weed right then. But, of course, he didn't have any. Who was she to want to see his arm and ask questions about it? Like she said, she didn't give a fuck about him. The cuts on his arm were personal. His. He didn't want to share that. It was bad enough Peyton knew about it, but at least she encouraged him, and even told him some good ways of hiding them.

He threw the half eaten pretzel down on the table, too pissed off to eat. Which, if possible, even pissed him off more. What was it about her that got to him so much? So much he couldn't even eat because of some stupid fight they had. Sure, she was hot, but he barely even knew her. There were loud, clanking footsteps coming from behind him, that startled him and made him turn around. It was just Brooke, who looked even more pissed than before.

"You're so fucking lucky I'm too scared to walk home by myself. Otherwise, I would have left your ass here and called the cops." She slammed down into the chair opposite his, and tightly crossed her arms over her chest, while looking away from him.

"I've missed you, too" he smiled, sarcastically.

"Keep your comments to yourself. In fact, don't talk to me at all. Let's just get the fuck out of here."

"I'm not ready, yet," he smiled, sweetly.

"Ugh," she stomped her foot on the ground. "You're an ass," she grabbed his pretzel and started munching on it.

"That's mine."

"Mine now."

Silence spread between them. Lucas was too stubborn to relent on his earlier actions, no matter how much this girl got to him. But, the way she was gnawing on the pretzel, while her eyes flashed around at the scenery in the mall, was driving him mad. How was it that she could be completely captivating while doing something as simple as that? Every once in awhile she would steal a glance at him, and he noticed because he was spending most of his time staring at her. And every time her eyes were cold, the normal spark of fun in them burned now with disgust. She looked at him once again, only to once again catch him staring, and rolled her eyes. Maybe he should just tell her why he cuts his arm?

"I know I'm hot, but you don't need to stare," she cut through the silence. "It's creepy and only reinforces the fact that I think you're a stalker."

For some reason, Lucas knew she'd be the one to speak first, just because she didn't seem like the kind of person that could go for very long in complete silence. He, on the other hand, reveled in silence, and knew he would win the war. He smirked at her while arching his eyebrow.

"I don't know why you're so pissed at me, you know. I was just concerned about the stupid cut on your arm, and you just go off," she was talking just to talk now, and Lucas could tell. Her voice was pointed, but vulnerable.

"I don't even know why I was concerned. I don't even know you. You know, I thought you were a really cool guy until you flipped out on me, twice."

He laughed, but still didn't respond to her. No, he was going to let her go on and on.

"But, there was something there, right? Like we could be good friends, or something? I can't really explain it, but it was good."

He smiled, a true smile. Because she was right, and he couldn't explain it either.

"Now you are just ignoring me because I asked about that cut on, or cuts, on your arm. How am I the bad guy here? I was just being a _friend_ or whatever."

Lucas released a sigh. She had just struck his guilt button. Slowly, he started to fold up the sleeves on his shirt. Her rambling stopped while she watched him. After both forearms were bare, he set them on the table for her to see.

"This is what I do to myself when my life gets to me," he explained, not able to look into her eyes. "It might not make sense to you, but it does to me. It makes me feel better."

Brooke's eyes grew wide. She stared blankly for a moment, and then reached out to touch one of his scars. He flinched at first, not liking to be touched, but as she traced the scar with her finger, he relaxed. It felt abrasive to have someone caressing his scars.

"I'm sorry about flippin' out earlier, but it's not something I like to share with people. This is _my_ thing, you know? I don't want anyone telling me to stop or trying to help me. It's what I do, and I like it."

"There's so many," she whispered. Her finger found his newest cut; only she stopped before she would touch it. "Did you do this one tonight?"

"Yeah, before I left my house."

She didn't reply, just continued to stare.

"Let's get out of here," he pulled his arms back from the table, and rolled down the sleeves. She nodded, and stood.

The walk home was silent. Lucas was sure he'd scared her off for good, now. Not that he blamed her. He was way too fucked up to be friends with anyone but Peyton. The sun was starting to come out, so it was harder to hide his emotions, but he was glad because he could now see Brooke's better. She was biting on her bottom lip, and staring at her shoes while she walked. He wanted to assure her he was fine, that it was no big deal, but he wasn't sure she really even cared. They arrived at her house, and there was only a quick good-bye before Lucas was on his own again. Instead of going home though, he went to the bridge, needing some time to himself. He'd just revealed a major secret to someone he barely knew, and he wasn't sure he was quite okay with that.

**Thank-yous!**

**Silverfoxx01**- It is cute how they researched each other.  Thanks for the review!

**NaNaLiLy-**I'm glad you clicked on it, too! Thanks for the compliments! And here will definitely me some Laley going on! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

**Future-Estrella**- I'm glad you've found it now! Thanks for the review!

**Missdenmark**- Brooke does seem to have a weird effect over Lucas, and he can't quite figure it out. Of course, WE all know what it is. ;) And this chapter only further proves he opens up to her more than he should.  I'm glad you like Peyton, because she hasn't done anything yet that's too Peytonish. LOL And I usually never like her either. BTW, Brooke did move to Tree Hill and she will be going to THH! YAY! Thanks for the review!

**JennVanessa**-Thank-you! I hope you liked the update! Keep on reviewing! It makes my day!

**Purple monkey 3**-I really want to know what's going to happen between Brooke and Lucas, too! I hope you liked this chapter! 

**Princetongirl**- Thanks!

**BrucasIsTrueLove**-I'm glad you find my story interesting..Thank-you for the review.

**Bella**-Thanks for the review, I hope you liked the update!

**BrOoKe DaViS23**-Karen isn't really being mean, she's trying to straighten him out and she thinks that buy taking up all of his free time, he won't be able to get into as much trouble. Which, completely makes sense to me.  Thanks for the review and I hope you liked the update!

**P0line**-I'm glad you like my Lucas so much, because I love him! I actually told my friend that I thought I was falling in love with my Lucas. LOL Uh oh, (**pushes Brooke out of the way and inserts self** ) Just Kidding! Since he was already with a Lindsay on the show, anyway! HA HA! Hope you liked the update!

**BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE**-Lucas is kind of exciting as a bad boy.  I think with Lucas and Brooke's pasts, there's going to be some fighting, but because they're stubborn and bull-headed. But, it will work itself out. I couldn't have it any other way! Thank-you for the review and I hope you liked this chapter!

**Flipflopgal**-Glad you liked the Brucas! Thanks for the review!

**Austingirl76**I'm glad you liked the Brucas and thanks for the review!

**Chasitybsp-** Thanks for the review!

**Happy-sappy-**Thank-you for the review! Yeah, Lucas tends to kind of get bored with his life after awhile. But, he's going to see some changes, definitely some positive ones, and I'm sure Brooke will influence it a bit. Now, Brooke and Peyton is going to be interesting, but we'll just have to wait and see. 

**Lacey-** I'm glad you like the story! I hope you keep reviewing!

**Lilrdevil92**-Brooke will probably be in most chapters from now on. Of course, the story is pretty much centered around Lucas, but I LOVE Brucas…so I can't NOT have her. 

**Rileyo6**-I hope you like the Brucas interaction I have! I like writing it!

**Lucasluvsbrooke**- Thanks for the review!

**Missorton54-**I'm glad you liked the story! Keep on reviewing!

**TREE HILL GAL**-Brooke has come into the story since you reviewed, I hope you like her! And I don't like Peyton either, but I like the Peyton in this story, so far, at least.

**BLove13**-I know you reviewed forever ago, but I'm just now getting to the thank-yous! I hope you still like it, and I hope Brooke coming into it has been worthwhile!


	8. All These Things That I've Done

**I deserve to be severely punished for taking so long with this update! And I apologize to every length possible! I can list my reasons, but really, what is that saying about excuses? Ha! **

**I am posting this without the guidance of my beta, so please forgive any errors! Usually, I wouldn't do this…but, I'm thinking that she's been so busy she hasn't had time to get to the chapter, so I figured I might as well just do it on my own. So, even though my beta is awesome, and I really appreciate everything she does, I'm just going to go ahead and post this. **

**The song is All These Things That I've Done by The Killers…the chapter's title that is. Great song, by the way!**

OH! I don't know if anyone read my oneshot Brooke's Revenge, but because of all of the amazing responses I got, I have decided to keep it going. That should happen some time in the near future so keep a look out!

**Enjoy!**

Lucas hated going home. He always had, and he thought he always would. But, since it had been over 24 hours ago that he had left, he knew it would be worse this time than it ever has been before. Especially since Karen had put him on restrictions the last time he saw her. He hadn't been able to get high, and he hadn't been able to get drunk the whole time he was gone, and it was only going to be that much worse once he went home, because now he would have to face them with a clear head.

Going back in through his window would have been the safest choice, but Dan caught him before he could slip into the backyard unnoticed. Reluctantly, he followed Dan into the house, because Dan couldn't be seen out in public making a scene. He wouldn't want people thinking bad about him.

Karen was in the kitchen when Dan and Lucas arrived there and when she saw Lucas she didn't look very pleased. She looked angry, but even more than that; she looked upset, and tired. Like she hadn't slept in the last 24 hours. Immediately, Lucas felt guilty. Why did Karen care about him so much? Why can't she just see he was a lost cause?

"Lucas, would you like to explain where you have been since the night before last?" Karen asked, rubbing her fingers in circles on her temples.

"Yeah, Lucas, tell us where you've been," Dad goaded him. "This is going to be good," he laughed, and sat next to Karen.

"Does it matter?" Lucas retaliated. "I'm back, ain't I?"

"Lucas, that's not good enough," Karen sighed, and hung her head. Slowly, she lifted it back up. "You've missed community service two days now, do you realize how much worse it could get if you keep missing?"

"Who cares?" Lucas shrugged.

"You should care, Lucas," Karen slammed her hand on the table, causing Lucas to flinch, and Dan to laugh.

"You're right Lucas, nobody cares," Dan stood. "Nobody cares about you, that is."

"Dan, leave him alone," Karen, warned him.

"Why are you so protective of him, Karen? He's nothing but a little brat, too spoiled to appreciate what he has."

"Yeah, Karen, why don't you listen to Dan?" Lucas mocked. "I'm nothing but a piece of shit. My daddy's biggest mistake with the biggest crack whore in Tree Hill, isn't that right, _dad_?"

"Dan, if you answer that-"

"You're right, Lucas," Dan started toward Lucas. "You were a mistake, and your mother was a crack whore. But, at least your mother knew her place in all of this. You walk around here as if we're supposed to care about you."

"Dan," Karen scolded.

"Well, daddy-dearest," Lucas stood his ground and stayed right in Dan's face. "You've made it very clear that I mean nothing, why not kick me out? Can't have your illegitimate son being a sore on your record?"

"Lucas, ca-" Karen started.

"That's right, _son_. Not everybody needs to know about how much of an embarrassment you are."

"Too bad they couldn't see how much of an _asshole_ you are."

"Lucas, Dan," Karen tried to interject herself between them, but neither would back down from the other.

"Now, that's no way to talk to your loving father, Lucas." Dan smirked. "Too bad you don't have your head on right, like Nathan does."

Lucas snickered. "Yeah, if you call bein' an asswipe whore havin' your head on straight. Then again, you were quite the whore yourself, am I right? I mean, you got my mom pregnant within a few months of getting Karen pregnant. Too bad you weren't smart enough to wrap it up, then maybe nobody would have known you were fuckin' the town whore."

Lucas hated talking about his mom in such a way. He hated talking about her at all, but Dan drove him to do things he hated. And if it meant getting to Dan in the worst way possible, he was willing to do it. Even though nothing seemed to faze him.

"Please," Dan rolled his eyes with a laugh. "_Your mom_ was such a whore that she was poking holes in the condoms to try and trap me. I hope you don't think I'm dumb enough to sleep with the town whore without realizing she probably had every disease known to man."

Anger boiled within Lucas' stomach. Since the day Lucas could remember anything, Dan had always treated his mother like a piece of shit. But, it wasn't because she was a drug addict, or slept around, it was because Dan couldn't control her. She wouldn't let Dan control her. And if there was anything Lucas could be proud of her for, it was that.

Karen must have noticed Lucas' rage was starting to boil over, because she put her hand on his arm, and turned him towards her. He would have winced in pain from her touching his cut, but he was too angry to notice. He didn't finally take his eyes from Dan's until Karen forced him to.

"Lucas, go to your room," she spoke sternly, and he realized she meant business, so he followed orders.

It was the same as he had left it the day before, his room. Not that he expected anything to be different, maybe Dan packing all of his things if anything. There was a pile of clean and folded clothes on his bed that Karen must have set there. He went to his cell phone and checked it. There were four missed calls from Peyton he decided to ignore.

All of his life, since he had moved in with Dan, he'd go up to his room and dwell on how much his life sucked. How his brother, just across the hall from him, got treated like the prodigal son, and he got treated like shit just because of who his mother was. He used to get depressed and wonder why his father never loved him, but then he started getting older. As he got older, he started acting out, and realized he didn't need his daddy's love. So to prove it, he did things that would look bad on Dan, just to get back at him for all those years of neglect.

As he sat in his room, he started wondering what was the point of all of it. Why was he even on this planet? No one really cared, and he didn't do anything to make them care. All he was was a waste of space. He was one little sperm that was meant to be a stain on the bed sheets. There was really no point in him living.

He had some friends, but they didn't really care. And after his night with Brooke, he was sure she would never talk to him again. Not that he could even blame her. He was too messed up for any girl to ever want to get involved with him. Not that he even wanted to get involved with her.

He pulled his shirtsleeve up and looked at the cut from the other night. It was infected. It was bright red and hot; and it was irritating him. Maybe if he had enough balls to just go a little deeper with that razor, he wouldn't be sitting in his room realizing how much of a mistake he was. And that was all he really was. One mistake after another.

There was a soft knock, and "Lucas," coming from the door that startled Lucas. He quickly tried to pull his shirtsleeve down, but didn't get it down in time. Karen saw him. Saw it. The cut on his arm. Or cuts.

"What is that?" She questioned, walking toward him with her hand outstretched.

"Nothing," he pulled his shirtsleeve down at held it there with his hand.

"Let me see," she demanded.

"Damn it, Karen, it's fuckin' nothin'," he snapped. And he didn't really mean to. But, there was already one person too many who knew about what he did.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way," Karen snapped back. "You go away for a day, don't tell anyone where you are and come home with a cut on your arm, and have the gall to talk to me that way?" Her voice was fierce, and Lucas was actually scared of her. Usually, she had such a calm and soothing demeanor.

"Just-"

"No, Lucas, I will not leave you alone!" She yelled. "Now pull up your sleeve and let me get a look at that cut."

Lucas stared defiantly back at the woman who had taken the place of his mother at a very young age. The only person who had ever shown him any kind of concern. And as he stared, he started to let his guard down. Because no matter how much he thought he didn't matter, he did to her. And she was one of the only people he felt like he couldn't let down.

"Do it, Lucas." She demanded.

He heaved a big sigh, and rolled up his sleeve. He knew what would come next. She would ask what happened, and he would make up some lie. Then she would probably put some antibiotic on his arm and bandage it. But, she couldn't possibly suspect he would ever do this to himself.

"Lucas, did you-did you do this to yourself?" Her voice softened as she stared at the cut. Lucas eyes grew wide. How could she ever suspect that? "I just watched a show the other day where kids do this to themselves, did you?"

Oh great. She watched some Dr. Phil show, and now she had guessed he was cutting his arm. "Thanks a lot Dr. Phil," Lucas mumbled to himself.

"What?"

"Why would I do this to myself?"

"You tell me, Lucas."

"Karen, it's not-"

"Lucas," Karen sighed, and shook her head. She looked away from him for a moment, and then turned back. There was a hint of tears in her eyes. "I've talked to your uncle Keith, and you're going to go live with him for a while. It's just not safe with you living under the same roof as Dan anymore."

Lucas knew he should be upset, but he wasn't. He was kind of relieved. Keith had never had any children, and he wouldn't really know what to do. So, it would be pretty easy living with his bachelor uncle.

"And, I've set up some scheduled visits with a therapist."

"What?" Lucas asked, a little pissed she would do that. A fuckin' therapist?

"You heard me, Lucas. I can't let you go on like this. And I can't, obviously, help you. You need to get help. It'll be good for you."

"No, Karen, no fuckin' way," he shook his head and stood up. "I'm not going to some fuckin' shrink that will have me talking my guts out and only fuckin' with my head even more. No fuckin' way."

"Lucas, please don't cuss so much. And yes, you are going. I talked to your parole officer, and as a way of getting you out of trouble for missing community service so much, she agreed to let you see a therapist."

"No." Lucas crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at the petite brunette.

"Yes. You have no choice. It's either that, or you go to juvenile detention. They're fed up, Lucas. And frankly, so am I." Her eyes softened as she spoke, and it was as if she couldn't bear to speak those words to him. And it broke Lucas. If there was even an ounce of sympathy left in him, he felt it for Karen in that moment. He had to do this. If not just to keep from going to juvie, but for Karen's peace of mind. Because he knew she would never forgive herself if he went to juvie.

"Whatever," Lucas responded in a low voice, as he rolled his eyes. "When do I move out?"

"Keith's is coming tomorrow to get your things. Get it all packed tonight, and he'll pick it up while you're at community service."

"I have to do community service _and_ see a shrink?"

"Lucas, don't press your luck. It's full time community service until you've made up those hours with the therapist. After that you'll go three days a week, and two days a week to the therapist."

"That's bullshit."

"Watch your mouth, Lucas. Now get your stuff packed."

She turned to leave, but Lucas spoke before she could get to the door. "Do you still want me to help at the café?" He watched her stop and turn around slow, and he could have sworn he saw a faint smile on her lips.

"If you want to, Lucas. Yes. Haley could use your help."

"Okay," he smiled. Then she left.

The defiant side of Lucas told him to just sit on his bed, and ignore everything she'd just said, but the tiny sympathetic part of him took over, and he started throwing some of his stuff in bags. Because even though staying here just to piss Dan off thrilled Lucas, he knew it would be better with his uncle. He'd never been close with Keith, but he was closer to him than he was his own dad. And that was saying a lot.

xxxxxxxxxxx

_A blonde haired woman stood in front of him. She was taller than him, but she wasn't tall. She looked familiar from behind. Like he should know who she is, but that it had been so long since he'd seen her, he can't quite place her. She was talking animatedly to whoever was standing in front of her, and for some reason, Lucas was waiting for her. They were in someone's house, and a shabby one at that. There was nothing in it but one couch, and a couple of milk crates turned upside down. There was shag carpeting on the floor in an awful orange color. _

_And Lucas was scared. Not that there was even a reason to be scared, but he was. The person sitting on the couch seemed to be half dead, and Lucas wondered why no one was going over to him and waking him up. An urge to grab onto the woman standing in front of him went through him, but he wasn't even sure who she was anymore. The man on the couch started to arouse, and Lucas felt himself stiffening. He couldn't help but stare at him. _

_He wrapped his arms around his petite self. Petite? Why was Lucas little? He reached his hand out in front of him, and stared at the small hand before him. He was little again? That was a four year old's hand. He looked toward the blonde woman again, and she still wasn't paying attention to him. Why didn't she notice how scared he was? Why wouldn't she turn around and check on him to make sure he was okay? Who was she that she should care? _

_The man on the couch sat upright, and looked toward Lucas, and Lucas felt himself take a step backward. His little hand reached out to grab onto the woman, and when he got a hold, she slapped his hand away, as if not to bother her. He pulled his stinging hand back, and held it against his chest. Why did this woman not care about him? Didn't she know how scared he was? He needed her help. He was little, too little to do anything for himself. _

_The couch guy stood, and started to walk toward Lucas. And Lucas froze, because he didn't know what else to do. The woman in front of him wouldn't help him; there was nothing he could do. The guy who was previously once half dead on the couch stood in front of him, and then knelt down to his eye level. He started to speak, but Lucas couldn't hear what he was saying. His mouth was moving, but there was no sound. And when the man smiled at him with his mangled, yellowed teeth sticking out, Lucas jumped back, and knocked into the blonde lady. _

_Lucas was jerked around by the arm, and came face to face with the blonde woman, only there was no face. It was a swirled blur with no features, and he grew more frightened. He could tell she was yelling at him because of the way her finger was pointing at him, but he couldn't hear her. And he couldn't see her mouth moving because there was no mouth. She tugged on his arm until it hurt, and he wanted to start to cry. And the tears sprang to his eyes, but before they could fall, the woman smacked him across the face. They finally fell. _

Lucas woke up with a startle. His chest heaved, and his forehead was wet with sweat. He hated his nightmares. They never made any sense, and they always had faceless people in them. They were the one thing he had never told anyone about, and would never tell anyone about. Because they were just too messed up for anyone to know about. Even more messed up than him cutting his arm.

His rapid breathing slowly started to normalize, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead. The night before he had gotten most of his stuff into bags, but some of it didn't need to be. He would say he was excited about moving out of this house, and into one with Keith. But, at this point in his life, he could honestly say there was nothing to be excited about anymore.

Community service that day dragged on. Most of the time he hoped for Brooke to show up, but of course she didn't. He really did screw up any chance he had at ever becoming her friend. Part of him had hoped that maybe she would be the one person to look past all of it, and just be his friend. Without any expectations. With Peyton, there were expectations. She expected him to get high with her, or get drunk, or to do something careless and reckless. With Brooke, he had hoped that maybe they could just be friends. And she wouldn't care that he cut his arms, or got in trouble for drugs. She wouldn't judge him. But, it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen. And it just proved to him that there was no point in having any kind of hope.

After community service, he went to the café, and helped Haley for a while. She was pleasant, and helpful. He didn't know anything about the café, and she was more than willing to help him learn, and he appreciated it. Haley was the hardest person for Lucas to decipher. She was quick-witted, yet polite. She didn't care about popularity, yet she was dating his brother. She didn't take shit from anyone, yet she was empathetic. And he admired that about her.

"You did really good today, Lucas," she complimented as she wiped down the counters. "I'm glad I had you here."

"Thanks, Haley," Lucas smiled towards her as he wiped down some tables. "It was a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"Didn't think running a café would be hard, did ya?" She smirked.

"No, not really," he chuckled. "It was kind of fun, though. I guess I can appreciate Karen more after this."

"Yeah," she nodded her head. "Hey, um, you know how Karen is trying to open up a club?" Lucas nodded his head. "Well, she asked me to try to think of a theme for it, and something for the opening night. And I could really use some help. So, what do you think?"

"Why don't you ask Nathan?" Lucas didn't mean to sound mean, or bitter, he just wanted to know why she didn't ask him.

"Forget it," she shook her head. "I shouldn't have asked," she mumbled into the counter.

"No, I was just curious. I wasn't trying to be rude."

"Oh," Haley perked up a little and looked at him. "I didn't ask him because he's so busy with basketball and being pressured by your dad. Plus, he's going away to that high flyers thing."

"Oh yeah," Lucas nodded. It couldn't hurt helping Haley, could it? And maybe it could be a little fun? There was only one way to find out. "Sure, Haley. I can help you."

"Thanks, Lucas," she smiled, and they continued to clean up in silence.

Keith picked Lucas up when he was done at the café. It was an awkward car ride, because neither knew enough about the other to spark up a conversation. And it didn't really bother Lucas that Keith didn't try to hold a conversation with him just for something to do. Maybe living with Keith was going to be a good thing.

"So, here's your room," Keith opened the door. "I know it's not as big as the one at your dad's, but it's all I got. I didn't get your stuff unpacked. I figured you'd want to do that."

"Thanks," Lucas mumbled, taking a step into his new room. Keith was right, it definitely wasn't as big as his old room, and it was painted a horrible blue color, but anything was better than living under the same roof as Dan and Nathan Scott. He walked forward and sat on the twin bed that was placed in the center of the room.

"There's some rules you're going to have to follow," Keith spoke up, catching Lucas' attention again. Lucas felt his spirits drop. Rules? What the fuck? "I'm not going to be your maid. Clean up after yourself. I'm not real good at cooking, so you'll have to feed yourself. I'm not doing your laundry, because I don't want to smell your dirty underwear or socks. No drugs, weapons, alcohol unless it's mine, under my roof. And be home by eleven."

"Okay," Lucas grumbled, thinking that his rules weren't so bad. Although, at home, he didn't really seem to have any rules.

"I'm not done. Don't come home with any tattoos, because Karen would kill me. Don't leave the toilet seat up when Karen is here; otherwise never leave it down because sometimes I don't have enough time to put it up. Make sure you pee into the toilet, and not around it. Never let your father into my house. And if you want any girls here, make sure I can't hear it. And use protection. The last thing I need is Karen bitching at me because you got some girl pregnant. There's a stash of rubbers under the sink in the bathroom. Just remember, if you use some, put some back."

Lucas chuckled. It was going to be great living with Keith. The best part was that he didn't allow Dan into his home.

"Any questions?" Keith asked.

"No. I don't think so," Lucas shook his head. "Oh, and it's Dan." Keith looked at him, puzzled. "He's not my father, it's Dan."

Keith chuckled, and shook his head. "Old Danny boy sure has done a number on you." He turned to leave. "Oh, and Lucas?"

"Yeah, Keith?"

"No staying away for more than twenty-four hours. My toilet hasn't been cleaned in probably five months, and I will make you use your toothbrush to clean it if you break any of my rules."

Lucas nodded. Maybe living with Keith wasn't going to be so great after all. So far, he was just grateful Keith had a sense of humor.


	9. Gossip In The Grain

**So, yes, finally an update! WOW! LOL Sorry it's been so long. My OTH inspiration has been lacking lately. Since, you know, the show SUCKS! But, whatever. I still love MY Lucas! LOL **

**Gossip in the Grain by Ray LaMontagne is the inspiration for the title. Don't really know why! HA HA **

**Please excuse the typos. **

"So, Lucas, would you like to talk about why you are here?"

"No."

"Well, how about we start easy? Would you like to talk about your relationship with your…step-mother?"

"Nope."

Lucas sighed, and crossed his arms over his chest. This was just a waste of time. There was no way some shrink was going to cure him. He knew he should at least try to be cooperative for Karen, but it was pointless. No amount of 'shrinking' could change all of the damage his father had done to him. Or, his real mom for that matter.

"Lucas, this is part of your community service. I understand that you don't want to be here, but it is my duty to report back to the judge about your cooperation, and if I feel like you're not participating, he will make your punishment worse."

"Whatever," Lucas shrugged.

The therapy lady couldn't have been more than twenty-five at the most. How could Lucas respect someone of such a young age? She was kind of attractive, though, maybe he could have a little bit of fun with her. From the look of her office, some fun might be what she needed. He couldn't believe that someone so young could be so boring. Her walls were bare. Only her license hanging proudly on the wall. Her desk was filled with only office supplies, and some paperwork. And the glasses sitting so perfectly on her face really pushed it. He couldn't help but think she was trying way too hard to look professional.

"How about your mother's death, Lucas?" She questioned, and Lucas immediately tensed. "Do you want to talk about the events surrounding that?"

"Yeah right," Lucas rolled his eyes, trying to play off the anguish he felt over her mentioning his real mom's death. "How bout we talk about you?" He countered.

"We're not here to discuss me, Lucas, but if you feel like we could gain some trust between us if I talked about my personal life, go ahead and ask some questions," she leaned forward, towards him, as if she was interested.

"Why is it someone so young could be so boring?" He asked, and she immediately sat back in her chair.

"Excuse me?"

"You're like, what, twenty-five, yet here you sit in your stiff suit and spectacles. Maybe you should learn to enjoy life a little."

"As someone in my profession, it is very important for me to look professional. I didn't know it was offensive."

"Well, it is very offensive. Especially towards someone as young as me," he smirked. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He cocked one eyebrow, and turned on his charm. "I bet I could _show_ you some fun," he lifted one side of his mouth in a haphazard smile.

She stared blankly at him for a moment, before blinking a few times. She shook her head and then cleared her throat. Lucas was getting her right where he wanted her, and he could tell by the pinkness of her cheeks.

"I mean, I'm a good lookin' guy, and you're a decent lookin' girl," he leaned back in his seat, and placed one arm over the back of the chair. "I bet I could show you a lot of fun."

"L-Lucas," she stammered, shaking her head. "Th-this is inappropriate. I am your therapist."

"I know that," he smirked. "But, say, hypothetically, we met in a bar, wouldn't you be the least bit interested in me?" He leaned forward again, and gave her his best questioning look.

"I-I, I will not answer that," she blushed.

"Oh, come on," he goaded. "I know you think I'm attractive. I saw you checkin' me out when I walked in here. I don't blame you, really." He gave her a confident smile. "So, what do you say? You want to get out of here, let your hair down and have some drinks with me, or what?"

"I-I would lose m-my license," she shook her head profusely, as if she was trying to convince herself that it was a bad idea.

"No one would find out," he shrugged. "Or, if you want, we could just get to the point right here and now." He stood, and started to lift the bottom of his shirt, and almost burst out laughing at the look on her face. A mix between intrigue and horror. And just as some skin was about to show beneath his shirt, a dinger went off. "Guess the hour's up," he shrugged, and let his shirt fall. "Guess I will see you next time, doc."

* * *

"Hey Lucas," Haley greeted him as he walked through the door. "I have good news and bad news."

"Uh oh," Lucas chuckled. Haley had definitely been growing on him since he'd been working at Karen's café, and he would probably never admit it out loud, but he was actually enjoying having her around. "Give it to me straight, Hales," he joked.

"Bad news or good news first?"

"Bad."

"Bad news is we don't have to work in the café today."

"What?" Lucas pretended to be mortified. "No way. Man," he spoke sarcastically.

"Good news is we get to go upstairs and work on the club. Oh! And that we don't have to work in the café today."

Lucas chuckled, and followed Haley as she made her way towards the barely there club. The more he got to know Haley, the more he liked her. It was like they were really compatible as friends, something he had never experienced before. Sure, there was Peyton, but she was really his getting high and doing crazy shit buddy. And the guys from the river court, but they weren't as cool as Haley was to hang out with. And as he got closer to Haley, the more he thought his brother might have some sort of a conscious. He had to, really, because Haley would never put up with anyone's bullshit. Lucas had learned that first hand.

"This place is going to be kick ass when it's finished," Haley beamed as she finished sweeping up some dirt. "Karen definitely had a great idea when she thought of this."

"I'll agree," Lucas nodded. "How long before we have it finished, you think?"

"I don't know," Haley shrugged. "If either of us had any artistic talents, maybe a couple weeks. But since we don't, I have no idea."

Lucas chuckled. "That's very true," he sighed. "Hey, you know, I know you don't like Peyton very much, but she's bad ass at drawing and shit, maybe I could get her to come and do something for us."

"Yeah, sure, Lucas, and then maybe pigs will fly out of my ass."

"What?" Lucas laughed; miffed Haley would say something like that.

"We both know Peyton would never do something that wasn't for herself, but if you think you can convince her, go for it."

"I think you will be surprised," Lucas shrugged his eyebrows as he pointed at her. "Besides, maybe it would be good for her, too."

"Oh my gosh," Haley gasped, sarcastically. "Is Lucas Scott actually growing a conscious?" A large smile played on her face.

"Don't get to used to it," Lucas laughed, "and don't go tellin' everyone either."

"Oh, I won't," she shook her head. "And besides, I doubt anyone would believe me anyway."

Lucas gave her a mean look, but then started to laugh. "I bet Nathan is gonna to be disappointed he missed out on bringin' this together."

Haley looked at him, confused for a moment. "I'm sure he'll be proud of what we've done. Besides, I bet anything he misses will not disappoint him. I mean, how long as he dreamed about going to high flyers?"

"A very long time," Lucas conceded.

"That's right, a very long time," Haley nodded. "I really doubt missing out on putting this together will disappoint him very much after the summer of his dreams," she laughed. "Besides, when did you start caring about what Nathan wants or misses out on?"

"I haven't," Lucas shrugged.

"Yeah right," Haley prodded. "You can admit it, Lucas, I won't tease you or anything."

"Admit what?"

"Admit that you miss your brother. Go ahead. I won't tell anyone."

"I don't miss my brother," Lucas laughed. "Actually, it's been nice without him. I was thinking of you."

"Sure you were," Haley rolled her eyes. "I bet you miss him like crazy."

"You mean miss him being dick to me? Yeah, sure," Lucas rolled his eyes back at her.

"Really, Lucas, why do you guys not get along?"

Lucas sighed, and instead of getting defensive and mean, decided he would actually tell her the truth. At least, as much of the truth as he was willing to let go. "Honestly, it's just some deep rooted hatred because of Dan. Dan has been puttin' us up against each other ever since…well, ever since I can remember. And he's always made a point of makin' sure everyone thought Nathan was the better son. That he had a future because he was so great at basketball. And that I was nothin' but a mistake."

"But you weren't really, were you? I mean he was with your mom when he got Karen pregnant, wasn't he?"

"Yeah," Lucas nodded. "That's the messed up part. He goes around talkin' all this shit about my mom, but he was with her for a while. And I'm sure I was a mistake, and Nathan too, but Nathan is the prodigal son, while I'm shit."

"Why do you think he is like that?"

"No idea, and I don't care to know."

"You're better off, now," Haley pointed out, "you know, living with Keith."

"Yeah," Lucas nodded, "Keith is funny. He has these rules, and they're just ridiculous. Every day he adds a new one. The newest one is before we eat we must say something bad about Dan, because maybe it would help relieve some of our stress, or be therapeutic or some shit."

"What?" Haley laughed.

"Yeah, he hates Dan as much as I do. I don't blame him, though."

Lucas thought for a moment before chuckling. He felt like a girl talking this much with Haley, but at the same time it felt kind of relieving, too. Like he felt as though some of what he was feeling was leaving his body. Part of him hated letting anything about himself be shown, but part of him was just relieved.

"Lucas?" Karen entered the soon to be club, looking around for her stepson, with Keith following her.

"Yeah?" He answered her.

"There you are," she sighed, and went toward him. "We need to talk."

"Bout what?" He asked, even though he had a feeling about what.

"I got a call from your therapist today," she started.

"You mean, the boring lady?" Lucas asked.

"Lucas, how do you get a therapist to quit on you?" Keith butted in, his arms crossed over his chest. "I've heard a lot of things in my lifetime, but never have I heard of a shrink quitting on a client. This has to be a first."

Lucas almost laughed while Keith spoke, because it was as if there was an amused smile playing on his lips, but Karen didn't look too pleased, so he kept himself under control. "She quit?" Lucas asked, trying to sound surprised.

"Yes, quit," Karen nodded. "Why would she quit?"

"Didn't she say?" Lucas asked.

"No," Karen shook her head, "she did not. She wouldn't tell me anything. Do you have any idea?"

Lucas pretended to think for a moment, before shaking his head. "Nope, no idea."

"This is just so unprofessional," Karen ranted. "They're appointing you a new one since she quit, but I will get to the bottom of this."

"I don't think it's a big deal," Lucas spoke up. "Maybe she couldn't handle such a bad case, such as me."

"Oh, Lucas, honey," Karen went toward him and placed a hand under his chin. "You're not a bad case. You're worth much more than you think."

Lucas blushed. Why did Karen have to embarrass him like that in front of Haley and Keith? It was fine when they were alone, but he had a badass image he had to uphold in front of people, and he couldn't have them seeing him being consoled by his stepmom.

"I think Lucas is blushing," Haley snickered, and Karen pulled her hand away.

"Shut up, Haley," Lucas spoke with conviction and turned around and started to sweep some more.

* * *

Lucas took a deep breath and walked up Peyton's front walk. It had been a while since he'd been to see Peyton. The last time he had been there was the night he had snuck out and Peyton's mom kicked him off the doorstep. It was a lot earlier though, and he hoped Peyton's mom wouldn't go postal again and threaten to call the cops.

"What up?" Peyton answered the door, stepping fully outside.

"Um, I had a favor to ask," Lucas started.

"What? You don't come see me for how long and now you want a favor?" She teased. "I don't have any weed. Mom searched my room the other day and found my stash. Now I'm 'grounded'." She used her fingers to quote 'grounded'. "Of course, grounded means that while she's home for two hours of the day I have to be here."

"No," Lucas shook his head, "No, I don't want weed. It's actually, um, me and Haley are kind of fixin' up this place for a club, and we both suck at drawing and shit, and we need your help."

"No shit?" Peyton asked as she pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. She offered one to Lucas, which he accepted, and then lit one up. "That'd be cool, I guess. Do I get paid?"

"What?" Lucas laughed. "No. No, it would be volunteer, I guess. But, your art would be on the walls of what is gonna to be a fuckin' awesome club."

"Cool," she shrugged. "You wanna go get some weed?"

"Um," Lucas contemplated his answer. It had been awhile since he had gotten high, but he'd been doing really well with not even wanting to. "I-I don't think so," he shook his head, forcing himself to answer. "Not tonight."

"You aren't a quitter, are you?" She goaded him.

"No, no, I'm just-I'm just not in the mood to get high," he shrugged. She wasn't going to make it easy on him. "Plus, I'm livin' with Keith now and he has some pretty strict rules and shit."

"No shit," Peyton asked. "You're livin' with your _uncle_ Keith now?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Dan got too out of control, so they kicked me out."

"Wish my parents would kick me out," she huffed. "So, uh, when do you want me to come do this artwork shit?"

"We'll be there tomorrow night if you want to come down. Otherwise, we're there almost every night. So, whenever. There's still a lot of shit to be done yet, so it's not like we're openin' in a week or anything."

"Alright, I'll come tomorrow if my mom isn't keepin' me prisoner in my room."

"Cool."

Peyton threw her cigarette onto the ground and went back into the house. Lucas couldn't wait to rub it in Haley's face that she had agreed to do it, so a smile was plastered on his face as he walked away from her house. It didn't dawn on him that his walk from Peyton's to Keith's led him right past Brooke's house until he came up to her block.

Brooke hadn't been down at the beach since the night they had broken into the mall, and he wasn't really surprised. For a while after that night he had thought of her a lot, but with his time being so consumed lately, he didn't have much time to think about it anymore. In fact, as he walked past her house, it was the first time he had thought of her in a couple of days. He was slightly disappointed that she had found out one of his darkest secrets and immediately abandoned him, but it didn't surprise him at all. She just seemed like one of those types of girls. Lucas sighed, and forged on past Brooke's house, deciding it would probably be a bad idea to climb into her window again.

* * *

"I told you she would do it," Lucas goaded Haley. "So you can take you and your negative thoughts and shove them," he laughed.

"Okay, okay," Haley raised her hands, "I relent. You said she would do it, and she is. I am impressed with your powers of persuasion, Lucas Scott." She bowed down to him in a mocking way.

"You should be," he laughed. "You should be takin' notes, that's what you should be doin'. Because Lucas Scott has many powers of persuasion."

"I bet he does," Haley mocked him. "And I don't want to hear about any of them," she plugged her ears.

"Hey!" Lucas laughed. "You are sick, Haley James. Sick. Why are you thinkin' about me and sexual thoughts anyway? Do you have some sort of twisted brother/sister type crush on me? Because that would be sick. And even though I think Nathan's an asshole, I would never sleep with someone that has slept with, anyway."

"First of all, ew," she gave him a disgusted look. "And second of all, Nathan and I have not slept together thank-you very much. I am happily a virgin, and will be happily a virgin until the day I am married."

"Now that's sick," Lucas cringed. "A virgin? Haley. We're not livin' in the 18th century, you know. What if you die before you get married?"

"I have morals," she shrugged. "Just because you're a slut, doesn't mean I have to be."

"I'm not a slut," Lucas pointed out. "I abstain from sex myself, but I have at least tried it."

"You abstain from sex?" Haley scoffed. "I highly doubt that. You and Nathan come from the same seed. He was a slut before he met me, and I highly doubt that you're not."

"Judgmental?" Lucas asked, feigning hurt.

"Please," Haley rolled her eyes. "I didn't hurt your feelings. And if you really think I would believe that you abstain from sex, you're crazy. As much as you're at the bar, or getting high, or drunk, or with Peyton, yeah, whatever."

"I don't like sex," Lucas shrugged. "It's…nevermind. This is a weird subject for us to be talkin' about."

"Very true," Haley nodded. "When's Peyton supposed to be here?"

"She said she'd be here if her mom wasn't holdin' her prisoner."

"Okay," Haley shook her head with a laugh. "I also have someone coming to help us. She's new around here and stuff, and doesn't know anyone, so I invited her because we could use all the help we can get."

"That's true."

The friendly banter between the two quieted down for a bit while they started to clean out the big room. It wasn't until Peyton showed up that they talked again. And even then it wasn't much. Lucas showed Peyton the wall they wanted the artwork on, explained what they wanted, and left her to go at it.

"Since when do you hang out with her?" Peyton whispered as Lucas started to walk away.

"She's cool," he shrugged.

Lucas walked over to Haley. "My friend's here, where's yours?" He teased, and went back to his area of cleaning.

Haley shot an evil glance as Lucas as he walked away, and then went to her stereo and turned on some music. The three actually agreed on the music choice, and each started to bob their head along to the beat.

"Please don't tell me I have to put up with slit my wrist music while I do manual labor," an oddly familiar voice spoke from the doorway.

Lucas turned around, and was shocked to see Brooke standing in the doorway. There was no way the person Haley had been talking about earlier was Brooke. By the look of it, she was just as surprised to see him, as he was to see her, because her jaw about hit the floor when he turned around.

"Brooke!" Haley cheered. "You're here. Cool." Brooke stood planted in the doorway. "You can come in farther," Haley laughed. "This is Lucas and Peyton." She pointed to the two.

"Lucas," Brooke spoke, nearly choking over the name.

"You guys met?" Haley questioned.

"Something like that," Lucas spoke up. "Good to see you, Brooke." He smiled at her, and then turned around to continue what he was doing. He tried not to pay attention to Haley explaining to Brooke what she would be doing, but he couldn't help it.

After a while the foursome decided it was time to quit. Well, Peyton had decided she needed to get high, and suggested they all order a pizza while she went outside to smoke. She invited Lucas, but he got a glare from Haley, so he declined the offer, instead of going through a lecture from Haley.

"So, where'd you two meet?" Haley asked, sitting on a stool.

"At the beach," Lucas spoke up. "While I was doing my community service."

"So, you met Lucas at his finest?" Haley joked with a laugh.

"Something like that," Brooke laughed.

Haley looked back and forth between the two. "You guys have some weird sort of sexual chemistry going on," she blurted out, causing both of them to blush.

"We do not," Lucas said, forcefully. "Quit, Hales, or I will tell the secret that you told me earlier."

"What? What secret?" She asked.

"About the happily bein-"

"Oh, I don't care about that," she waved him off. "So, I'm a virgin? Big deal."

"A virgin," Brooke gasped. "I didn't know you people still existed these days," she laughed.

"Well, we do," Haley spoke, firmly.

"Virgins?" Peyton asked, walking back into the room. "Who's a virgin?"

"Haley," Brooke answered.

"Really?" Peyton asked. "I could tell that about you."

"Thank-you," Haley smiled.

"I didn't say it was a good thing," Peyton shrugged. "Sex is great. I've been trying to convince Lucas of that for a while now," she smirked at him.

"You guys have sex?" Brooke asked, seemingly disappointed.

"No!" Lucas shook his head adamantly.

"Hell no," Peyton scoffed. "Lucas seems to think sex is gross. I just think he doesn't get laid by the right people. I mean, what person could actually have sex and then think it's gross?"

"So it is true," Haley eyed him. "You really abstain from sex?"

"Now I knew there was a reason I didn't like to hang out with all girls," Lucas sighed. "Yes, it's true, Haley."

"You don't have sex?" Brooke turned toward him, and questioned.

"I know you do," Peyton pointed at Brooke. "You have like, cheer slut, written all over you."

"Peyton," Lucas warned.

"Cheer slut?" Brooke scoffed. "And you have like crack whore written all over you."

"Oh God," Lucas groaned. There was more than one reason he never hung out with all girls. Too much drama.


	10. Stab My Back

**I sincerely apologize for taking over a year to update this story. I deserve to be stoned! (Not getting high, but stones thrown at me :)) Today, I finally found the inspiration to continue this story. It is my baby. However, I will understand if no one has an interest in it anymore! **

**There are quite a few things brought up in this chapter that I hope you like, but I am kind of nervous about. I think this chapter puts at about halfway done. But, finally, you get a little bit of insight into why Lucas really is the way he is.**

**Chapter Title is from All-American Rejects**

**I hope you enjoy!**

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* * *

  
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Opening night of Tric was going great. The music was blasting, the place was packed, and Lucas and Haley couldn't wipe the smiles from their faces. Finally, their ideas had come to life and it was a true success. Lucas had never felt as proud about something as he did about all of the work he put into the club, and when Karen wrapped her arms tightly around him, he for once knew he did something good.

The dance floor was packed with dancing teenagers. Even Peyton had managed to show up, even though she was stoned out of her mind. Lucas sat at a table with the girl he, for the longest time, considered his only friend. She kept giggling uncontrollably, and for once, he found it annoying instead of enticing. He wondered if he would ever want to be like that again.

Haley soon joined them, and then so did Brooke. Lucas could almost feel the glares from all of the guys in the club as he was surrounded by three pretty hot girls. Yet, there was only one that really caught his interest. And he wasn't even sure if he was exactly comfortable with that. He didn't join in much of the conversations they were having, since it was mainly about who looked good or not, and which girls were slutty or not, but he found himself smiling and laughing along a lot.

"Oh my god!" Haley exclaims, and the other three looked at her as though she was crazy. "Nathan!" She pointed towards the entrance and shot up out of her seat, knocking Brooke out of her way as she raced for her boyfriend.

"Well," Brooke spoke as she got back into her seat, "I see how important we are."

"Great," Lucas rolled his eyes.

"What?" Brooke asked. "Isn't he your brother?"

"The last time these two were at a party together," Peyton pointed at Lucas, "there was a throw down."

"You don't get along with your brother?" Brooke asked, and Lucas shook his head. "How come?"

"Long story," he shrugged, not able to take his eyes off the beautiful brunette.

"Both are jealous over the attention they _don't_ get from their daddy," Peyton rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Brooke," Lucas spoke up, ignoring Peyton, "you want to," he cleared his throat and started to blush. "You want to, um, dance or something?"

"Oh god," Peyton rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You dance?"

"Sure," Brooke nodded.

"You two are _not_ leaving me here by myself," Peyton objected.

"We'll be back," Lucas assured her and stood up. He led Brooke onto the dance floor.

Lucas stood kind of awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. He'd always been so confident around girls, but Brooke was different. He could act cocky and smart mouthed, but when it came to actually doing something, he felt shy and timid. Brooke must have noticed his hesitance, because she stepped closer to him and started swaying her hips along to the music. He matched her rhythm and let her dance all around him.

Brooke was mesmerizing. Her dark chocolate locks flowed freely over her shoulders and down her back. His curvy hips swayed sensually along to the music. Her arms hung freely over her head. Her lips parted, and her eyes closed. Lucas still could not take his eyes off her.

He tried very hard to sway along with her, but he found himself watching more than dancing. He had never wanted to wrap his arms around anyone in his entire life as much as he did Brooke. Her full lips were parted and he could almost imagine the way they would feel against his. What was it about Brooke Davis that made him forget everything he hated to do? From touching to wanting to be intimate, he wanted it all with her.

Three songs played before the two needed a break. He took her up to the bar and bought a drink for both of them.

"This is pretty great, Lucas," Brooke said. "Thank you for letting me be a part of it."

"It was Haley who invited you along," Lucas shrugged. "I'm glad you're here, though."

"Me too," she nodded.

"Listen, I'm sorry about the way things went down that night," Lucas looked down at his drink, afraid to match her eyes.

"It's fine," Brooke told him. "You revealed something that was really private, that you really didn't want to do. I understand."

He finally looked up, and saw her smiling at him. He smiled back. "It's kind of weird that I did. I don't really like…being…close to…anyone."

She put a hand on his arm and squeezed. "I'm glad you chose me."

"Me too," he nodded. "You want to go outside for a minute and get some air?"

"Sure."

Lucas grabbed her hand and led her through a crowd of people and outside. The night air was humid and warm, but it was refreshing compared to the air in the club. The loud music from inside was muffled, and they could actually hear each other.

"How come you and Nathan don't get along?" Brooke asked.

"Honestly?" Lucas asked. "I'm not sure," he shrugged. "I, um, when I was little I had to move in with my dad and his mom and he just never liked me being there. When I didn't live with them, we got along."

"Why'd you have to move in with them?" Brooke asked. Lucas was afraid she'd get to that question, because he had never answered it before. He had never talked about what happened to his mom with anyone. But, for some reason, he felt okay sharing it with Brooke.

"Um, my mom was murdered," he said timidly.

Brooke gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, Lucas, I am so sorry for asking. I should learn to shut my big mouth sometimes."

"It's okay," Lucas shrugged. "Besides, I kind of like you opening your big mouth," he smirked.

"Are you hitting on me, Lucas Scott?" She leaned into him.

"Maybe I am," Lucas said, grabbing her arm and pulling her against his chest, finally finding the confidence he usually had. "Are you okay with that?"

She nodded her head, and Lucas smiled. Slowly, he leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against hers. It had been so long since he had kissed someone, but he was sure he had never experienced the tingles he felt from her lips. They pulled back for a moment to look at each other, and then crashed their lips together once again. This had never felt as good for Lucas.

His put his hands on her hips, and she put hers around his neck. Their tongues met. Something about it felt so right for Lucas, he didn't want to stop. He pressed her up against the brick wall behind them, and his knee parted her legs. One of her legs wrapped around his as their mouths battled for control. Lucas put his hands on her flat stomach, and slowly they found their way beneath her shirt. Her skin was soft, and it felt good beneath his palms. He inched them up, until they were cupping her bra covered chest. Brooke moaned as he kneaded them.

"Lucas," Brooke gasped. She pulled at his shoulders and her lips clung to his mouth. "Lucas, wait," she breathed out, pulling back slightly. "Wait," she tried to catch her breath, as did Lucas. "You're not even my boyfriend," she tried to reason.

"Do you want me to be?" He asked, kissing her jaw.

"Lucas," she said again, "we can't do this out here in the open."

Lucas sighed, but he agreed. He didn't want the first time he enjoyed sex to be up against a building with anyone who wanted to watching. He buried his face into her neck, and nodded. Although, he couldn't bring himself to back away from the beautiful girl.

"You're right, pretty girl," he whispered. He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. "You never answered my question."

"How about you take me on a date first?" she countered shrugging her eyebrows.

"How about tomorrow?" He asked.

"Okay," she shrugged. "I thought you didn't like sex?"

"I never have before," he leaned in and kissed her again. "You want to go back to the party?"

"Not really," she smirked, "but, I suppose we have to."

Lucas chuckled, but grabbed her hand and led her back inside. The club was still packed, but Peyton was no longer around. They went back to their table, where Haley was now sitting by herself. Brooke took a seat and Lucas sat next to her.

"Where's Nathan?" Lucas asked Haley.

"Who cares," she shrugged her shoulders, but didn't look up at him. "He's an arrogant prick."

"Uh oh, what happened?" Brooke asked.

"He got mad at me for hanging out with Lucas," Haley spoke, obviously still pissed off. "He said I've been slumming it since he's been gone and that he didn't approve."

"Did you break up with him?" Brooke asked.

"No," Haley sighed. "He didn't mean it. At least, I don't think he did. He'll cool off by tomorrow."

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Haley gave him a fake smile. "Wait a minute," she eyed the two sitting across from her. "Something happened between you two," she pointed at the two, giving them both suspicious looks.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Brooke blushed.

"Your hair is all ruffled, and your lips are swollen," Haley pointed out. "Oh my god, Lucas, I thought you said you didn't like sex!" Haley gasped. Both Lucas and Brooke blushed.

"We didn't have sex!" Brooke hissed. "Geez, what kind of girl do you think I am?"

"We're going on a date tomorrow," Lucas said, although, he wasn't sure why.

"That's nice, you guys. I'm happy for you," Haley smiled.

"I'm sorry," Lucas looked down at the table, afraid to look in Haley's eyes. "I didn't know hanging out with me would cause a fight between you and Nathan."

"Don't apologize, Lucas," Haley shook her head. "It's not our fault your brother is an ass."

"If you want to get out of here, I can clean up once we close," Lucas offered.

"Yeah, and I'll help," Brooke chimed in.

"Really?" Haley asked.

"Yeah," Brooke nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with your boyfriend, I don't think Lucas is all _that_ bad." Brooke turned and winked at Lucas.

"Not _that _bad?" Lucas asked. "So, you're saying I am _kinda_ bad?"

"Well, I did meet you while you were doing community service," she smirked.

"I am never going to live that down, am I?" Lucas chuckled.

"Okay," Haley said, breaking in between the banter. "I'm going to get going. Maybe I can catch Nathan."

"Go give him hell, Haley," Brooke cheered as Haley stood up and said good-bye.

The night went by fast, and Lucas found himself enjoying Brooke's company more and more. Once Tric was closed, and everyone was gone, the two started to clean. Lucas took his time, because he knew the sooner they got done, the sooner he would have to say good-bye to Brooke. Brooke made sure to make fun of him for being so slow, but Lucas didn't mind. He liked being teased by her. After they were done, they set u plans for their date, and went their separate ways.

The next morning, Keith woke him up. "Someone's at the door for you," he grumbled. "The next time, just let the girl stay the night so I don't get woken up at the ass crack of dawn. I need my beauty sleep," he scolded as he shuffled back to his room.

Lucas chuckled, and threw on a white t-shirt. A smile was plastered on his face as he figured it was Brooke at the door. When he got their, his smile faded away into a deep frown. It was Haley. And she didn't look very good. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair was a mess. She had obviously not gotten any sleep the night before. Lucas let her inside, and led her to the couch. She sniffled furiously, and then wiped her nose on her sleeve. Lucas cringed.

"Everything okay?" He asked, searching the room for some Kleenex.

"No!" She wailed, wiping at her nose again. Lucas went to the bathroom and grabbed a roll of toilet paper. He handed it to Haley. "Thanks," she said taking the roll from him. She pulled off a piece of the toilet paper, and dabbed her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, awkwardly sitting next to her. He had never had to comfort a crying girl before, and he wasn't sure what to do. Instead of answering him, she started sobbing uncontrollably. He hesitated, but then started rubbing a hand up and down her back. That was what Karen used to do for him when he was little. She leaned into Lucas' chest and continued to cry. He froze. He wasn't sure what to do. This was something he was definitely not good at.

"Um,-wh-what's wrong?" He stuttered, his arms raised in the air, not knowing what to do. He fumbled for a minute before wrapping both of his arms around her shaking body.

"N-Nathan," she stammered. "I-I caught him-" she cried some more, "he was having s-sex with someone else," she bawled, clinging to the front of Lucas' shirt.

"What?" Lucas asked. Damn, he knew his brother was an asshole, but he thought he was different with Haley.

"He always said he respected me and sex didn't matter," she cried.

"Shh," Lucas tried to comfort her. "It's okay. I'm right here."

"It was Peyton," she sobbed loudly.

"Peyton?" Lucas asked incredulously. "Peyton?" he asked again, skepticism in his voice.

"I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it."

Lucas tried to rock her back and forth as she cried into his chest. He grew angrier the more she cried. He had always known Nathan to be an ass, and always figured he'd show his true colors to Haley some day. But, Peyton? Peyton had been hanging out with Haley for the last couple of days, and she seemed cool with Haley. How could she sleep with Haley's boyfriend, and Lucas' hated brother? Lucas rocked her back and forth for a while longer, before she tried to regain some composure. She sat up, and wiped her nose with toilet paper.

"Do you want me to call Brooke and have her come over?" He asked, and she nodded. He called Brooke, and asked her to come over. "She'll be here in twenty." Haley nodded. He got up and turned the TV on for her while he went back to his room to change into some khaki shorts and a t-shirt. Keith caught him in the hallway before he could go back to Haley.

"She's not pregnant, is she?" Keith asked, his eyes narrowed.

"No!" Lucas exclaimed. "No," he spoke with more calm and shaking his head. "She's Nathan's girlfriend."

"Lucas," Keith said in a scolding manner, "I know you don't like your brother, but sleeping with his girlfriend? That's low for even a Scott."

"What? No!" Lucas fumbled. "It's not like that," he shook his head. "She caught Nathan sleeping with someone else last night. She's just my friend."

"Oh, okay then," Keith nodded. "Are you going to be occupying my living room much longer?" Lucas shrugged, looking oddly at his uncle. "I'll just go to the garage then." He turned to walk away.

"Wait a minute," Lucas stopped him. "Isn't it a bit hypocritical of you to lecture me about sleeping with my brother's girlfriend?" Keith looked questioningly at him. "I see the way you look at Karen. You mean to tell me you've never tried to sleep with your brother's _wife_?" Keith flushed a deep shade of red, and quickly turned around and walked away. Lucas chuckled.

He returned to the living room to find Haley staring blankly at the television. It was better than he crying uncontrollably. When Brooke arrived, her met her outside and explained the entire situation to her.

"Seriously?" Brooke scoffed. "I knew Peyton was a bitch, but I didn't know she was a home wrecking whore of a bitch," she exclaimed. "No wonder why you and your brother don't get along. You have morals and he doesn't!"

Lucas blushed a little, and couldn't help but think that she was wrong. He then led her inside, where she immediately went to Haley and wrapped her arms around her. Lucas stood back as Brooke comforted Haley, admiring the way she just automatically knew what to do. From the soothing words she said, to the threats against Nathan and Peyton, Lucas was fascinated. He also wondered if maybe Brooke knew exactly what to do and say because she had experienced something similar before.

"Brooke," Lucas caught her attention as she hugged Haley. She looked up over Haley's head. "You guys will be okay for a little bit while I go and…" he cleared his throat. "Get some pop?" He lied.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," she nodded.

Lucas took the car that Keith had started letting him use and went straight to Peyton's house. He needed to get some answers from the girl he considered his only friend for the longest time. Her parents weren't home, so he went straight up to her bedroom, where she was still asleep.

"Get up," he shook her bed. She groggily rolled over and blinked her eyes. "Peyton, we need to talk. Wake up!" He shook it again.

"What the fuck, Lucas?" She asked, opening her blood shot eyes.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing last night?" He seethed.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, groaning as she pulled a pillow over her face. "Close the blinds or something!"

"I'm talking about how you fucked my brother last night," he exclaimed, ripping the pillow form her face. "What were you thinking?"

"Go to hell, Lucas," she spat. "I can fuck whoever I want."

"Nathan?" He exclaimed. "My brother, who you fucking hated until last night, and Haley's boyfriend?"

"Whatever," she rolled over and pulled the blankets up. "I'm going back to sleep if all you're here to talk about is that lame ass shit."

Lucas ripped her covers form her bed. "I thought you hated him? I thought you liked Haley?" He yelled.

"Get out, Lucas," she ordered, trying to reach for her blankets. "Why don't you just fucking go back to Miss Happy Cheerleader and leave me the fuck alone?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He seethed.

"It means," Peyton finally sat up, her nostrils flared. "I don't give a fuck about anything! I don't give a fuck if Haley was dating Nathan! I don't give a fuck that you're ditching me to hang out with goody two shoes and perfect cheerleader! What do you fucking care what I do? You don't even hang out with me anymore!"

"So, you were jealous I was spending more time with them and not you and slept with Nathan?" Lucas scoffed. "That's fucking low, Peyton, even for you!"

"I'm not jealous! I don't give a fuck, I told you that! But, if you think that you're turning over some new goddamn leaf and that your fascination with that giggly whore is reality, you're fucking kidding yourself! You're just like me, Lucas! A fuck up! A fucked up loser who enjoys getting blowed and wasted. In fact, I think you may be a little more fucked up than I am!"

"Fuck you, Peyton," Lucas hissed.

"Ha!" Peyton chuckled. "Did I hit a sore spot, Lucas? Had any nightmares lately?" She goaded.

Lucas cringed and regretted ever telling her, even if it was only one time, that he had those nightmares. "You're a fucking bitch!"

Peyton laughed again. "You're right," she agreed. "Tell me, Lucas, what was it like watching your mom being murdered? How is it that you saw everything happen, but can't tell the police who it was?"

"Shutup!" Lucas screamed. He had never told anyone that, and he had no idea how Peyton knew.

"People talk, Lucas," Peyton sighed, lying back down on the bed. "You think no one knows about your little well kept secrets, but guess what? Everyone does. That's probably why your dad hates you. You probably killed your own mother, and we all know Dan loved your whore of a mother more than lame ass Karen."

Lucas' blood boiled, and he swore if Peyton was a man he would have been on top of her, swinging until her face was a bloody pulp. Instead, he stormed from her room and out of her house. His lungs felt like they were collapsing, and he could barely breathe. He needed so bad to smoke a joint, or drink a bottle of liquor. But, he couldn't. He had two girls at his house that would be very disappointed if he went back high or drunk. Karen would be so upset with him, and Keith would probably kick him out. But, most of all, he was afraid he would screw up what he had going with Brooke.

He had never had so many people he could disappoint before.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so yes, Lucas witnessed his mother being murdered. Messed up, right? He was very young, too. Poor kid! But, next chapter Brooke and Lucas will go on their date! YAY! Aren't you proud he didn't go and get high after Peyton's cattiness? **


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